We all have things that we're asked to do. Everybody has to do chores from time to time. But when Hope decides that doesn't apply to her, and misses out on the reward, she works out a way to get her own reward. She ends up hearing the story of Jonah--a "whale" of a tale about another stubborn person who didn't want to obey what he was asked to do. Will Hope get the connection before she's swallowed up?
How about you
We've all made the bad decision to disobey--like Hope. But did you ever think about WHY you don't want to obey? And what needs to happen in your heart so you can obey?
Check this out
At the end of the book of Jonah, we find out why Jonah didn't want to go to Nineveh in the first place, and it's a pretty sad reason. In chapter 4, we read:
But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. He prayed to the LORD, "O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.
The sad truth was that Jonah didn't care about the people of Nineveh. He wanted them to be destroyed by God, and he knew that if he preached to them, they'd repent; and if they repented, God would forgive them. That's bad enough, but then this happened:
Then the LORD God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine. But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah's head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, "It would be better for me to die than to live."
So, once again, Jonah's angry about things not going his way. But take a look at what God has to say to that:
But the LORD said, "You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?"
Any time we care more about ourselves or our own comfort than we care about other people, their needs, and what God wants; let's remember the story of Jonah, and ask God to help us be more like Him.