Monday, February 1, 2010

Jonah's Prayer

After Morgan gave an interesting sermon comparing Jesus with Jonah I decided to read the book of Jonah. It was only 4 chapters after all. There's a lot about Jonah that doesn't come out in the children's version of the story, which was what I had in my mind. Jonah could not get past his anger at God for having mercy on a culture (the Assyrians) that had been enemies of Israel fom the beginning. He says,

"I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live." Jonah 4:2-3

God said, " Have you any right to be angry?"

"I do," he said, "I am angry enough to die."

And that's it. Those are the last words we hear from Jonah in that book. Jonah had been looking forward to the Assyrians not repenting after he told them that if they didn't God would wipe them out. But they did repent, and God spared them and Jonah was pissed about it. He felt that they didn't deserve God's mercy. And Morgan made the point that we are the same way. We judge people around us all the time and decide when they do and when they don't deserve our mercy for whatever reason. But Christ is always merciful, and so must we be.

Ok, that wasn't really the point of my post but I thought the sermon was really good. If you want to hear it go here. It's especially good for those of us that struggle with compassion. (who? me?)

While Jonah was in the fish for three days he prayed and described to God the depths to which he had sunk and declared that he was turning back to him. In that prayer were these words:

"Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs." Jonah 2:8

This saying really effected me because in our society we choose to cling to things for security that are not capable of providing it: money/things, relationships, being busy, alcohol, food, etc. when there is provision that is already promised for us. All we have to do is turn to and depend on God for our security and he will provide. And he can provide so much more and so much better than all of those things I just listed. It requires a surrender of control on our part but the reward is so great. The grace is just waiting for us. Consider this:

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if his child asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake? If you, then, who are sinful, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him?" Matthew 7:7-11

It is hard these days to be still and quiet before God to seek him on anything. I find myself filling up every moment of my day, including those last minutes in bed before I turn off the light, reading one more page of my book, half asleep, or playing Scrabble on my phone, anything but being quiet and focusing my thoughts on something meaningful. I think the easiest way to seek God is to read the Bible. Everything is in there. The more you read the more you learn about the nature of God and how to respond to every aspect of life the way he would. The life of Christ, the ultimate surrender, is the best guide. I personally find that it's much harder to be still and seek him from the depths of my heart. But the results are life changing and bring peace that cannot be explained. It's in those moments where you experience God for yourself. No one can ever argue against your experience, it is the truth and it is with you for life.