The Void - Jonah Part II
“But Jonah was afraid to go, and ran away from the Lord. He went down to the seacoast, to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket, went on board, and climbed down into the dark hold of the ship to hide there from the Lord.
“When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God repented of the evil which he had said he would do to them; and he did not do it. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly,
“And the Lord God appointed a plant, and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm which attacked the plant, so that it withered. When the sun rose, God appointed a sultry east wind, and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah so that he was faint; and he asked that he might die, and said, ‘It is better for me to die than to live.’ " Jonah 1:3;3:10; 4:1,6-8 (Living Bible)
Each of us reading this Bread is serious about a relationship with God. But answer to yourself truthfully…deep down within you, is there a void at times?
From yesterday’s Bread you remember Jonah’s call and his reluctance to go to Nineveh to preach. He was like us. He was a guy who wanted a relationship with God. He was a guy who in fact had a relationship with God. He was serious about his commitment to God. He was like us. But deep within him was a “missing link.” Deep within him was an empty space where he retreated to avoid God upon occasion.
Although you’re serious about your relationship with God, do you have an empty spot deep within you? Do you upon occasion question God’s existence? Do you at times wonder about His Love for you? Do you find yourself doubting? If so, it doesn’t make us less a Christian, it simply confirms our humanness. The test for our bonding with God isn’t in the absence of doubts, or fears, or questions, or feeling desolate: our bonding with God is in our commitment despite our feelings. Jonah stuck with it---even when God embarrassed Jonah by changing His mind about how He would deal with Nineveh, even when God caused worms to destroy Jonah’s tent, even when God brought strong winds and dry sun upon Jonah. These things didn’t make sense to Jonah, but he stuck with God and God blessed him.
It’s so easy to confuse our feelings of doubt, of anger, of loneliness, etc. with lack of faith. Our negative feelings won’t keep us from experiencing God, but our lack of commitment will.
Let’s focus not on our feelings, let’s focus on our commitment: therein is our eternal bond.
Blessing Always In All Ways,
Steve
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“When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God repented of the evil which he had said he would do to them; and he did not do it. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly,
“And the Lord God appointed a plant, and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm which attacked the plant, so that it withered. When the sun rose, God appointed a sultry east wind, and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah so that he was faint; and he asked that he might die, and said, ‘It is better for me to die than to live.’ " Jonah 1:3;3:10; 4:1,6-8 (Living Bible)
Each of us reading this Bread is serious about a relationship with God. But answer to yourself truthfully…deep down within you, is there a void at times?
From yesterday’s Bread you remember Jonah’s call and his reluctance to go to Nineveh to preach. He was like us. He was a guy who wanted a relationship with God. He was a guy who in fact had a relationship with God. He was serious about his commitment to God. He was like us. But deep within him was a “missing link.” Deep within him was an empty space where he retreated to avoid God upon occasion.
Although you’re serious about your relationship with God, do you have an empty spot deep within you? Do you upon occasion question God’s existence? Do you at times wonder about His Love for you? Do you find yourself doubting? If so, it doesn’t make us less a Christian, it simply confirms our humanness. The test for our bonding with God isn’t in the absence of doubts, or fears, or questions, or feeling desolate: our bonding with God is in our commitment despite our feelings. Jonah stuck with it---even when God embarrassed Jonah by changing His mind about how He would deal with Nineveh, even when God caused worms to destroy Jonah’s tent, even when God brought strong winds and dry sun upon Jonah. These things didn’t make sense to Jonah, but he stuck with God and God blessed him.
It’s so easy to confuse our feelings of doubt, of anger, of loneliness, etc. with lack of faith. Our negative feelings won’t keep us from experiencing God, but our lack of commitment will.
Let’s focus not on our feelings, let’s focus on our commitment: therein is our eternal bond.
Blessing Always In All Ways,
Steve
<><
posted by BreadBakers at 12:13 PM
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