We are not puppets!

The story of Jonah always brings up mixed reactions in a group of people. People want to debate whether the story could happen or not, how could a fish swallow a human and the list goes on and on, but what it brings to my mind is God allows us to choose Him. He may ask something of us, but He doesn't demand we pick it. In the long run when we do He will use our choices in the meantime to show His glory!

Jonah was told In Jonah 1: 2 - Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.

What does Jonah do? Run the opposite direction and gets on a ship headed to Tarnish. All the time thinking he was escaping from the LORD!

How slow we are sometimes! God could have caused Jonah to slip and fall on the escape to hurt himself, the ship could have already left, the ship could have been full so many things, but God allowed Jonah's foolish plan to happen only to be in a terrible storm at sea. To get tossed over the side into the sea and then into the belly of a fish!

When do you think Jonah began to get the whole picture? Do you think it was when the storm stopped immediately or after three days in the junk of the belly of a fish? The smells inside of that fish had to be awful and the darkness - place yourself in the belly of a fish! Nasty...

Why do you think Jonah ran? Did he dislike the people of Nineveh that much that he would rather die than do what God requested? Was he afraid? Why did he run?

How quickly do you think he realized the power of God? Was it during the storm? In the belly of the fish? When did he accept the power of God? Did he learn how uncomfortable and unhappy it was to be disobedient to God during the storm or in the fish? I think perhaps when he was in the air being tossed over the side of that ship, before he hit the water. After all, he was facing the unknown the same as he would have just followed God's instructions and God was with Him instructing him to go to Nineveh!

Why do we not get it? Instead we run and get tossed about by life, but at least God is able to use our disobedience to allow HIS glory to shine through the stuff that happens along the way! Imagine, the people on that ship that believed in Jonah's God the moment that storm stopped! The same is true of us! Imagine, the people that believe when they see God work in our life!!!

Sweet blessings,
Debbie