God's Reluctant Servant

Reading God's Word is like looking at a mirror into our hearts.  I tend to recognize in myself more of some characters than others.  This week I'm relating well to Jonah.  This book is only four chapters long, but it is a beautiful picture of God's love for the nations and his desire that they turn to him.

Jonah was a prophet in Israel when God called him to preach to Nineveh, the capitol of Assyria.  It's hard for us to understand what a difficult request this was until we understand that Assyria was Israel's greatest national enemy at the time.  The Assyrians had sinned against God and flaunted it.  They sacrificed to and worshipped false idols and in general wanted nothing to do with the Hebrew God.  Jonah knew it, and he didn't think they deserved God's grace.  When I take an honest look at myself I find that sometimes I think the same thing about people today.  Do bad people really deserve God's grace?  Are they worthy to hear the message of the gospel?  The answer quite frankly is no.  But neither do I!  None of us deserve the love and mercy that God bestows upon us; it is a gift.  Jesus didn't come to earth to save angels, he came to save the sinners.  If we were all perfect and righteousness we would have no need for a savior.

Jonah did not have a heart for the nation of Assyria so he tried to run away from God.  It's laughable to think that we could ever hide from the Living God.  Psalm 139:7-8 says, "Where can I go from your Spirit?  Where can I flee from your presence?  If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there."  God is always with us and bids us come ever closer to Him.  God knew Jonah would run from him, but the Lord pursued him even to the depths of the sea.

The amazing thing about this story is that as soon as Jonah began preaching in Nineveh against the sins of the people, they repented!  Though their sins were great, they recognized that they needed God's saving hand.  Rather than rejoice at this, Jonah despaired.  In chapter 4 he prays, "O, Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home?  This is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish.  I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity."  What a sad commentary on Jonah's outlook.  Jonah missed out on understanding the grandeur of God's plan for the nations.  He forgot that Israel was God's chosen people through whom the savior of the world would come.  The good news of salvation isn't for us to keep closed up in our hearts.  It is to be shared with the world, whether we think the world is worthy or not!

Jonah was about the most unwilling servant God could have chosen, yet he chose Jonah anyway for this rescue mission.  I'm thankful that God uses people like Jonah to make known his glory, because it means that God can use me too!  My prayer is that I would always have a heart for the lost people of this world, and be willing to go wherever God calls me to bring his good news!