Jonah 3:10-4:4
I have always imagined the prophet Jonah as a young man. I don’t know why, but I can’t see him as an old man with a long white beard. Whether or not he was in fact young or old, he had some lessons to learn.
Jonah apparently had a ministry as a prophet in Israel when God called him to a special task. He was to travel to the city of Nineveh, capital of the great Assyrian Empire, and deliver God’s message of repentance and forgiveness. He apparently didn’t like the Ninevites. At first he protested (4:2), and then he ran away (1:3).That was how he responded to God’s assignment. If we know anything about God, running away from Him doesn’t seem like a very good idea, but Jonah tried it.
He tried to run away from the God who said, “Heaven is my throne, and the earth my footstool” (Isaiah 66:1). Imagine a housecat running around a footstool trying to hide from its owner. Well, Jonah running away from God is a remarkable thing, but what is more remarkable is how God responded. He pursued Jonah and gave him a second chance.
I have an acquaintance who, along with his wife, responded to the gospel invitation at a large evangelistic event. they followed the Lord for some time, and then sank into a quagmire. He fell into serious sin and drug use. This ultimately led to the death of his wife and my friend waking up in prison. Here is his description of the situation: “In my isolation cell, I cried out to God. Who was I now? Was I Cain in the Bible, damned to walk the earth forever marked as a murderer? But my mother explained to me that God could still use me.” And God is using him today. God doesn’t give up on us. no matter how far or how fast we run,
We don’t need to imagine God chasing us. He doesn’t need to chase us and look for us. Here is how God described Himself to the prophet Jeremiah: “‘Am I only a God nearby,’ declares the Lord, ‘and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him? Do not I fill heaven and earth?’” (23:23–24). The omnipresent God is here now.
If you are reading these words, you are probably not running away from God. but if you have run away from Him in the past or if you will in the future, you can rely on this: God will not give up on you. You may not even see what you are doing as running away from God. You’re just avoiding something that God has laid on your heart to do. or you may even see it as just procrastinating. It may not be anything like converting a whole city to God. it may be something that you see as relatively insignificant. But if it’s something that God has led you to do, He won’t give up on you. He’ll keep after you until you do it. We can say with Jonah that God is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for Your persistent love and patience. Keep my wayward heart fixed on You, and when I need it, bring me back from either wandering or running away from You. Help me to be faithful and obedient. And thank you, Lord, for Your great faithfulness to me.
Author: Lindsay Hislop was raised in southern Scotland and southern Ontario and now lives in the southern United States. He worked in the engineering field for 15 years (mostly in Canada) before pursuing an academic career. He has taught for over thirty years at Columbia International University. He also serves as an elder in his church, where he teaches and preaches regularly. He is married to a wonderful wife Pam and has two terrific children, Holly, who lives in Canada, and Doug, who lives in Columbia. His four grandchildren, Isaac, Madeline, Lindsay, and Dolan, are also pretty special. He likes doing carpentry and odd jobs around the house.
