There are two readings for today.
SCRIPTURE: Jonah 1
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. [Jonah 1:1-3]
God had a special mission in mind for Jonah, but Jonah had other plans.
Jonah should have read yesterday’s reading from Psalm 139 – no place to hide.
He runs, but God arranges his circumstances to bring him to his senses.
When people resist God, they discover that God resists them too.
Thankfully He does it in a way to help us, though not everyone appreciates this.
And for a while it meant that Jonah had to experience life in the depths.
Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. [Luke 15:13-14]
In the parable of the prodigal son, we see a runaway son and a loving father, and an experience that brings the son to his senses [Luke 15:17].
He also tries to flee to a distant country, but things don’t turn out so well.
The story does not say that the father arranged for his son to suffer (whereas God arranged for Jonah to end up in the whale).
But this is a story, and behind the story is the picture of a father who cares, and watches, and waits.
in both cases a person runs away, and in both cases they end up in trouble.
And in the end (as we shall see) both end up going back.
Read these two stories together; it is because God cares that He allows us enough freedom to choose to obey or disobey.
And it is because He loves us that He arranges the circumstances of our lives to bring us to our senses, and see our need for God.
God’s compassion is for each one in these stories – both sons in Jesus’ parable, Jonah and the sailors, and the people of Nineveh.
One of the points of Jesus’ parable is that God rejoices when people repent; God was rejoicing when Jonah repented, and also when the people of Nineveh repent.
God loves all people and wants the best for them.
We can run but we cannot hide; we cannot escape His loving eyes.
And He will arrange the circumstances of our lives to bring us to our senses, and to bring us back to Him!
PRAYER:
Lord, You have given me the freedom to receive or reject Your love. You are also showing me that there is no place to hide from Your love!