{"id":4256,"date":"2013-02-28T22:07:36","date_gmt":"2013-03-01T03:07:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/?p=4256"},"modified":"2014-07-21T10:09:28","modified_gmt":"2014-07-21T14:09:28","slug":"depending-on-god-a-lesson-from-the-book-of-jonah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/depending-on-god-a-lesson-from-the-book-of-jonah\/","title":{"rendered":"Depending on God: A Lesson from the Book of Jonah"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cGo to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you\u201d (Jonah 3:2).<\/p>\n

I have appreciated our recent study in the book of Jonah, both in our Adult Bible Fellowships as well as in our children\u2019s Sunday School classes.\u00a0 While there are many important lessons we can learn from this book, the truth that has impacted me the most in recent days is the principle that God\u2019s plans cannot be thwarted.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Pathetic Prophecy<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Jonah is pretty upfront about the fact that he does not want God to forgive the Ninevites. He would prefer to see Nineveh wiped off the map as victims of God\u2019s wrath.\u00a0 Even after God dramatically rescues Jonah from the consequences of his own rebellion, Jonah\u2019s willingness to aid the Ninevites could be described as tepid at best.<\/p>\n

Just consider the way in which Jonah conveys God\u2019s message of warning to them.\u00a0 Eight words \u2013 that\u2019s all he speaks.<\/p>\n

\u201cForty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown\u201d (Jonah 3:4).<\/p>\n

Jonah doesn\u2019t tell the Ninevites anything of the grace and mercy of God. He says nothing about the actions they ought to take in response to God\u2019s warning. He provides the people of Nineveh with no hope whatsoever\u2014only a weak prediction of their impending destruction.<\/p>\n

An Amazing Response<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Despite the anemic nature of Jonah\u2019s prophecy, the Ninevites take his words to heart. Look at their reaction:<\/p>\n

The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.\u00a0 When Jonah\u2019s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.<\/p>\n

This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh:\u00a0 \u201cBy the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. \u00a0But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call\u00a0urgently on God. Let them give up\u00a0their evil ways\u00a0and their violence.\u00a0Who knows?\u00a0God may yet relent\u00a0and with compassion turn\u00a0from his fierce anger\u00a0so that we will not perish.\u201d<\/p>\n

When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented\u00a0and did not bring on them the destruction\u00a0he had threatened (Jonah 3:5-10).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Though Jonah tries his best to sabotage the Ninevites, God produces an incredible response in their hearts. It\u2019s the kind of repentance that could only be motivated by the work of the Lord.\u00a0 And as a result, thousands of lives are saved.<\/p>\n

God\u2019s plans cannot be thwarted.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I am Jonah<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It strikes me that, often times, I\u2019m a lot like Jonah.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t mean that I actively seek to foil the revealed plan of God. \u00a0Rather, I frequently behave as though future outcomes depend solely on my actions\u2014as though the success or failure of a given endeavor rests completely on me.<\/p>\n

I wonder how much time and energy I have wasted pursuing certain goals\u2014whether in my personal life or in my ministry\u2014because I have failed to bring my pursuits before the Lord.\u00a0 How much more effectively these goals could have been accomplished if I had recognized that the success of the task actually depended on the Lord? \u00a0What kinds of things could God have accomplished through my life if I had been willing to truly trust in Him?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

It occurs to me that I need to spend less time at my desk and more time on my knees. God\u2019s plans cannot be thwarted\u2014mine so easily can.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Are you like Jonah?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

How about you? Do you live as though your success depends exclusively upon your efforts? Is this an area where you need to grow as well?<\/p>\n

What kinds of things do you and I need to do in order to develop a greater trust and reliance upon the Lord?<\/em><\/strong> \u00a0What actions and habits can help us cultivate this kind of mindset? \u00a0I would suggest that the first step is prayer.<\/p>\n

If God can use eight words from the mouth of a rebellious prophet to bring about the repentance of thousands, what might He be able to do through a willing and dependent servant?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It strikes me that, often times, I\u2019m a lot like Jonah. I don\u2019t mean that I actively seek to foil the revealed plan of God. Rather, I frequently behave as though future outcomes depend solely on my actions\u2014as though the success or failure of a given endeavor rests completely on me. I wonder how much time and energy I have wasted pursuing certain goals\u2014whether in my personal life or in my ministry\u2014because I have failed to bring my pursuits before the Lord.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":4260,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[97],"tags":[11762,11763,117,4419],"yoast_head":"\nDepending on God: A Lesson from the Book of Jonah - Faith Church Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/depending-on-god-a-lesson-from-the-book-of-jonah\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Depending on God: A Lesson from the Book of Jonah - Faith Church Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It strikes me that, often times, I\u2019m a lot like Jonah. 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