The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”  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.  Jonah 1:1-3

From the few verses listed above, it is clear that God had a plan for Jonah.  There was a specific something God wanted Jonah to do.  But Jonah wasn’t interested.

So, he skipped town.

Eventually, that act of deliberate disobedience landed Jonah in the belly of a big ole fish.

So many people think that if they don’t hear God correctly or take a different path, that they will never get to their destination. What if I make the wrong turn?  What if I take the wrong job?  What if I join the wrong church?  What if I say the wrong thing?  What if?  What if? What if?

Questions like these usually come from a heart desiring to please God.  As a Christ follower, I long to hear exactly what my Heavenly Daddy is saying and where he is directing me.  I don’t want to miss it.  In decision-making times, my heart is pure and I simply want to discern the path that God has laid out.

If you have deliberately disobeyed and turned from God, don’t fret.  His mercies are new every morning.  You may be one of those who didn’t intentionally take the wrong path but somewhere along the way, you realized that the direction in which you were headed was literally making you go in circles.

God used Jonah in a huge way.

Huge.

Surrender to Him and He’ll use you, too.

Can you recall a time when you found yourself in a fish’s belly and wished that you had obeyed God the first time?

(Previously posted on October 16, 2008.)