Ministry Received ...
  • Home
  • MinistryReceived Blog
  • Contact

... to testify the gospel of the grace of God.       

In a Whale

11/9/2016

0 Comments

 
Whenever we hear the story of Jonah, our default thought is typically, "He ran away from God and got swallowed by a whale."  I have often pondered over the story, feeling like there was something more, something I wasn't quite catching on to, something I was missing.  I had recognized the main elements - Jonah ran from God, repented of that attitude, turned back to the Lord while captive in a fish's belly, and eventually did his job. He went to Nineveh, proclaimed the Gospel, and the whole place repented.

That is often where most of our Jonah narratives cease. The narrative, however, is far from over.  After Nineveh's salvation and God's outpouring of grace, Jonah does not rejoice in the work of the Lord and continue to serve Him but rather hardens his heart against God and ceases his service altogether.  The End.  The book literally ends with God asking Jonah a question.  No "conclusion," no repentance of Jonah's hard heart, nothing. 

Surely Jonah justified his attitude.  The people of Nineveh had left horrific scars and deep wounds that had not yet healed upon Jonah and his people.  Seeing Nineveh's salvation was the absolute last thing Jonah wanted but it was in God's goodness and sovereignty that he was to be the pivot point which turned them to repentance.  

We all have "Ninevehs" in our lives.  People who have hurt us, events or happenings that have left deep wounds and scars upon our soul.  But we also have Jonah's choice.  We can allow ourselves to be swallowed up in the mercy and grace of God or we can harden our heart into stone against Him.  Perhaps more than anything else, the story of Jonah now stands as a testament to me, not of what it looks like to be repentant, but what it looks like to have a heart of stone.  I pray that no matter what I face some day, I would still
far rather be in a whale with a soft and pliable heart for my Lord to mold and use according to His choosing than be outside of a whale with a heart hardened and stubborn against His working.  
Picture
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    Apologetics
    Life With Christ
    Ministry
    Outreach
    Trials
    Witnessing

    Prior Posts:

    July 2018
    January 2017
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014

    Post Types:

    All
    Apologetics
    Life With Christ
    Ministry
    Outreach
    Trials
    Witnessing

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • MinistryReceived Blog
  • Contact