Acknowledging God's Sovereignty

Reading:  Jonah 2
My Verse:  "For You cast me into the deep,
                       into the heart of the seas,
                       and the floods surrounded me;
                       all Your waves and Your billows passed over me" (Jonah 2:3)

This story of Jonah is fascinating in so many ways.  Jonah appears so stubborn, single minded, and well - selfish!  The one thing he seems to have done right in this prayer of his, this cry out to You, LORD God is to acknowledge You for Who You are and Your sovereignty over all of creation.

He did not blame the sailors for casting him overboard.  He in fact stated, "For You cast me into the deep . . ."   He knew that You have power and authority over all.

In his prayer he even acknowledged that You were LORD over the natural elements.  ". . .all your waves and your billows passed over me."

Most importantly he acknowledged that You and only You can save.  "Salvation belongs to the LORD!"  This wonderful truth was restated byJesus in John 14:6 when he said "I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father but by Me."  

So the fish "vomited Jonah out upon the dry land."  It is curious that the word "vomited" was used here as the word indicates disgust.  In other passages where it is used, this seems to be the general meaning of the word. (Job 20:15, Proverbs 23:8, Proverbs 25:16).  LORD God, You saved Jonah but were You still unhappy with his lack of compassion for people who were not like him?

Jonah was a most imperfect human and yet You chose to use him for this very important job of saving an entire city.  So much to learn from this.

1.  Your willingness to use a person with wrong ideas - in particular here Jonah's thinking that only those like himself deserved Your salvation.
2.  Your patience with such a stubborn man as Jonah.
3.  Your persistence as You did not give up on Jonah even though he tried so hard to get away from doing what You asked of him.
4.  Mostly Your great compassion for the unsaved Nineties, the sailors and even stubborn Jonah.

I am so grateful for your compassion, LORD God.  For You saved me from a life that simply would not be worth living.  You saved and transformed me.  You enable me to see the beauty You created. You enable me to know love and to love others.   And You have given me that great Hope that lies in store for those of us who acknowledge You as our LORD and sovereign God.

Sovereign by Chris Tomlin

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

The Ethnocentrism of Jonah

Reading: Jonah 1
My Verse:  "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city,
                         and call out against it,
                         for their evil has come up before me" (Jonah 1:2)

So this word or concept is much in our news of late - ethnocentrism.
Here in the wonderful and amazing story of Jonah is this very concept.  Jonah decided to run away from You, LORD.  He does not want to go to the pagan city You tell him to go to.  He is a believer of You, LORD God, yet he does not believe that the Ninevites deserve Your warning, to hear from You, to get the opportunity to turn from their evil ways.  He thinks that only the Israelites deserve You!

Love how this story illustrates Your compassion for all of mankind.  You care about the Israelis yes, but you also care about the Ninevites who were pagans.  You cared about the sailors, who were also pagans - and it is so cool that they came to know You!

"Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly,
   and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows" (Jonah 1:16).

There is so much in this story of Your compassion for us.  I like how You also show how the sailors, though pagans, still cared about the sanctity of human life - they did not want to throw Jonah overboard to save theirs.  It was only when they saw no other way that they did as Jonah told them to do.  And in doing that they saw the seas calm and they did not chalk that up to coincidence but believed that it could only be You, LORD God and so they believed!  How wonderful is that!

This brings to mind a quote from CS Lewis.

"For you will certainly carry out God's purpose, however you act, but it makes a difference to you whether you serve like Judas or like John."

You allow us to play a part in Your great plan as You did with the sailors and with Jonah.  We do have to choice as to how we play that part.  And, oh how important to our own end how we go about it! 

You are our creator, each and every human being is important to You.  

"For God so loved the world, 

   that he gave his only begotten Son, 

   that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, 

   but have everlasting life." - John 3:16  

The "world" includes everyone.  You want each and every person to come to You and know Your great love, forgiveness, healing and peace.

Not only do you love us but You want us to love one another.

"Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

   There is none other commandment greater than these. -Mark 12:31

You, LORD God are not an ethnocentrist.  By commanding us to love one another as much as we love ourselves You are telling us we are not to be ethnocentric either.  It is wrong.  Jonah was wrong to think this way.

Help our country, LORD God not to let ourselves fall into this wrong way of thinking.  Correct our wrong thinking, LORD God.  Draw us constantly back to You and Your correct precepts.

"Whoever does not love does not know God,

     because God is love" (1 John 4:8).

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

The "Pride of Our Heart" Deceives!

Reading:  Obadiah
Verse:  "The pride of your heart has deceived you,
                   you who live in the clefts of the rock,
                   in your lofty dwelling,
                 who say in your hearts,
                   "Who will bring me down to the ground?""(Obadiah 1:3).

As I have been reading through these past couple books of the Old Testament there has been this theme running through.  This theme of our tendency to try to go it on our own.  We try so hard to be self sufficient - we don't want to depend on You, LORD God.  We allow pride to cloud our ideas of who You are, and of our need for You in our lives.

Pride is a most devious thing, creeping in, establishing itself in our lives and growing and growing until we are totally blinded by its presence.

It is only the piercing light of Your truth LORD God that can reveal and root out that awful thing - pride - that has lodged itself so comfortably within us.  And even once it is rooted out we cannot be lax, because it wants back in and will find a way if we allow it.

"Humility is a discipline.  It is the daily exercise of standing next to Christ, whose wonderful light illumines our sin and all our humanity." (The Unchained Soul by Calvin Miller)

LORD God, help me to be faithful in prayer for those who allow pride to cloud their understanding of the truth of You.  Help me to be ever constant in the discipline of humility.  I want to be ever closer to You so that Your wonderful light will illuminate any pride that may creep into my heart, clouding my view of You and deceiving my heart.

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!