Go!


In the book of Jonah, the Bible tells the story of a man whom God told to go to the town of Ninevah (Ninne vah) in order to warn its inhabitants about their sinful nature and to ask them to repent.

However, Jonah despised the Ninevites and didn't want to warn them of anything.  He thought if God wiped them off the face of the earth for their sins, that would be a beautiful and wonderful thing.  So, instead of going to Nineveh, Jonah got into a boat headed toward Tarshish in an entirely different direction.

But God has a way of placing roadblocks in the way of things He'd like NOT to happen, and of opening doors toward the things He WOULD like to happen.  So as Jonah was sailing toward Tarshish there arose a great storm over the waters.  Recognizing that his disobedience was the cause, and if he didn't do something, they'd all die - Jonah urged the sailors to throw him overboard.

When they did, the storm immediately stopped, however, then Jonah was stranded out in the water with no way to get to shore.

...no way, unless a giant fish swallowed him up...

and that is EXACTLY what happened.  Three days later Jonah was deposited on the shores of Tarshish to complete the task God sent him to do.

As a marketing/car girl - I learned the story about the Chevy car model NOVA, which didn't sell in Mexico because "no va" means "no go".  That story came to mind as I was thinking about Jonah and Nineveh.  The town kind of sounds like NINNY Va - or "Ninny - GO!"

I can imagine that is exactly what God was thinking..."Look Jonah, you Ninny, I've asked you to go, NOW GO!

Last week I told the story of Ron Lee, Don Ho's drummer, whom God asked to be a minister.  Ron told God he preferred to be in a praise and worship band, but he felt God say in response, "It's not about your comfort (Ron). This is what I want you to do." 

I suspect that's pretty close to what God was saying to Jonah...  and it's pretty close to what we might hear if we listened to that still small voice when God urges us to do something on His behalf.

We may not always like it.  We may not even feel equipped for the task - but when God says, "go", we must go.

"You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you." - Jeremiah 1:7

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Petition for Prayers

Image
Hi there - today is my 400th post and I am wrestling a bit... so I'm asking for your prayers. I started this blog o ver a year ago, convinced it was something God wanted me to do.  It was way out of my comfort zone, and certainly not something I’d have done 10 years before, but  I had hoped that i n some way, it might help people get closer to Him. I knew that once I had finally given my life to God, EVERYTHING in my life changed, and  I desperately wanted people to experience the same JOY and PEACE I have felt since making that decision.   As they say, “I was like a poor beggar telling others where they could find food”. For months, the posts flowed easily and I would feel the Holy Spirit's inspiration…the words on the page practically writing themselves.  However, I'm not sure that is still the case.  Sometimes I feel as if I am struggling to hear His voice, and I honestly don't want to be writing MY thoughts - I want to be sharing HIS. So, I'm going to t...
Read more

The Journey to the Cross (Day 4 - THE LADDER)

Image
In the city of Jerusalem stands a church called  The Church of the Holy Sepulcher.   It has been proposed as the place of both the death and resurrection of Jesus, and it has been a place for pilgrimages since the 4th century. Considered holy, the site is cared for by no less than six denominations including Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, Roman Catholic, Coptic, Ethiopian and Syriac Orthodox.  As such, it has been carefully parsed out into sections.  And sadly, arguments and violent clashes are not uncommon. Jim visited the church once on a trip with Northridge and told me about "The Immovable Ladder".  Apparently the ladder is a " bizzare outcome of religious stubbornness pushed to extremes. " For " Sometime in the first half of the 18th century, someone placed a ladder up against the wall of the church. No one is sure who he was, or more importantly, to which sect he belonged.  The ladder remains there to this day.  No one dares touch it, l...
Read more

The Journey to the Cross (Day 3 - ONLY JESUS)

Image
Today’s Holy Week post has me thinking about the 12 disciples. ONLY JESUS Can you name Jesus' 12 disciples?  If you've been watching The Chosen or reading your Bible regularly, you might be able to.  However - there are some, who - at least for me, are a bit in the shadows. Sure I know Simon/Peter, and his brother Andrew .  And then there was James and John, the sons of Thunder (or Zebedee to be exact).  There was Matthew, and Thomas, and Judas Iscariot.  And there was Simon the Zealot, and another James...but...but...a nd here is where my mind isn't as good at remembering.   So I Googled it. There was also Philip - a Jewish man from Bethsaida who apparently was the one to tell Nathaniel (another lesser known disciple) that "The One" Moses and the prophets had foretold in the Old Testament, was here.  Following Jesus' death Philip became a missionary in Greece and for his outspoken faith proclaiming Jesus as the Son of God - Philip was stoned and...
Read more