God's Plans Will Prevail
Bible Readings
- Jonah 1:1-17 - Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou? And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land. Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you. Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them. Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee. So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows. Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
- Jonah 4:2 - And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.
Rebellion against God creates bitterness and heartache.
Jonah fled to Tarshish to escape God's plan. Perhaps the prophet thought that ignoring the divine command would cause the Lord to withdraw or change it. Instead, God sharply intervened in Jonah's life until he surrendered. Jonah believed he had good reason to hesitate. The Ninevites were a cruel civilization intent on conquering Israel. Therefore, walking through the city and shouting "Nineveh will be overthrown" was a terrifying idea. And as the prophet later revealed, he was worried that God would spare the city if the people repented. Jonah wanted the people to be destroyed for what they had done to his people. His reasons for fleeing seemed right in his own eyes. But God did not back down. There is no basis for rebellion. God desires our obedience. He has reasons for wanting us to take a certain action, and His purposes are always good. The Lord does not change His plan according to our purpose. Instead, He will use events, people, circumstances, and the prompting of the Holy Spirit to lead us into the center of His will. Go prepared for your own good. You may not like the task God has given you, but if He wants you to do it, then believe it is worthwhile.
🤔 Reflection
When God asks us to do something challenging, do we trust in His good purposes, or do we try to flee like Jonah? How can we better align our will with His today?
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