Pebbles of Truth #6: Life, Living & Relationships FROM REBELLION TO REPENTANCE (Part 2) - Jonah Chapter 2:1-9 3. He Trusted Gods Promises - 2:4: If His presence will bless you, then, His absence will hurt you. Jonah’s departure from God’s will was the beginning of his journey “downward.” He went down to Joppa and down into the sides of the ship. Now, he was thrown overboard and going down to the belly of the oceans. The fish met him and swallowed him. Now, he’s gone down into the belly of the fish. Whenever you turn your back against God, the only direction you can go is DOWN! Disobedience will always cost you more than you anticipate. The budget of sin is very high – it will cost you all including your soul. So, what saved Jonah? His faith in God’s promise? Which promise? The promise that involves looking up to God & “looking toward God’s holy temple” (2:4, 7). When King Solomon dedicated the temple in Jerusalem, he asked God for this special favor – 1 Kings 8:38-40. Jonah proclaimed, I remembered the Lord” (2:7). He recalled God’s covenant promise and acted on the basis. He cried for help and God kept His promise; He answered Jonahs call. He Yielded To Gods Will (2:8-9). First, He admitted that he was a sinner; he had an idol in his life. The idol of nationalism & patriotism. He loved his own people too much. He would rather see the Assyrians, Israel’s enemies, perish, than go deliver the message of hope to them. He was also concerned about his reputation – what people think about him, the national prophet! Jonah closes his prayer with some solemn vows to the Lord. And he meant it!! He promised to worship God in the temple with sacrifices and songs of thanksgiving. Obviously, he couldn’t save himself; only God could. But he was wise to turn to Him. He quoted the Scriptures that he had memorized during his days of trouble. The Word of God gave him light in the darkness and hope in his despondency. Give me another chance and I will do your will, Jonah seems to say. God gave him the second chance. Good, but does it have to be through this struggle and attitude? Definitely, not. LifeGate Leadership Institute
Posted on: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 20:13:05 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015