December 14, 2024 -Thy Will be Done

JONAH 1:1-4:11

REVELATION 5:1-14

PSALM 133:1-3

PROVERBS 29:26-27

One Year Bible Audio & Daily Reading (oneyearbibleonline.com)

Jonah 1:1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”

3 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. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.

As I read Jonah I thought of the times that I knew God was telling me to do something but I was not listening. He did what He needed to do to get my attention so I would respond at exactly the right time. Jonah knew without a doubt what God was telling him to do and there was no doubt in His mind that it really was God. But he didn't want to do it. And he not only didn't go but headed the opposite direction. Fortunately with me it didn't take a life-threatening storm as it did with Jonah but He did have to get loud and forceful.

Jonah 1:7 Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.

God used people who did not believe in Him. When the lots told them it was Jonah who was to blame he was doing what He needed to do to catch Jonah's attention. He can use all things for His good purpose.

Jonah 1:12 “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”

Jonah could have turned to God, repented and been willing to go to Nineveh but instead he would rather die than give Nineveh a message that could cause them to repent and be saved.

Jonah 3:3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. 4 Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.

When he finally gets to Nineveh to share the message the Lord gave him to share he did it half-heartedly. He didn't even go halfway into the city. But the message was not only received but it spread and the people responded and when the message made it to the king he declared a fast and everyone repented. When we are told to do something even if we don't want to we just need to do it even if our heart is not in it because God will still use it.

Jonah 4:3 Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

4 But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

Again he would rather die than see that what he didn't want to happen, happen. What drama to react so excessively because what he wanted to happen wasn't going to happen.

Jonah 4:8 When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”

More drama. He would rather die than be this miserable. We don't have to be miserable and suffer through storms if we would just trust the Lord. God's will, will be done even when we try to change the outcome. One thing that I learned very quickly was that when God is telling me to do something that it is always better to trust Him and respond with "Yes Lord, I will", and actually do it. Even when I don't think it's the best thing for me to do, He has proven to me that it is always best. If I fight Him and run from Him there are always problems and discomfort. So it is better to trust and obey than to run from His will. Yes Lord. Thy will be done.