BY JESSICA LANDMON
Has God ever asked you to do something that you just plain didn’t want to do? Maybe it was outside your comfort zone. Or, perhaps, you knew that there could be backlash that followed. Maybe you just weren’t comfortable with God’s strategy. In any instance, you convinced yourself that it just wasn’t something you were going to do, and the matter was settled.
You are not alone. Jonah was given such a task and initially responded the same way. God asked Jonah to go preach a message of repentance to the people of Ninevah. These weren’t just any people – they were evil – and they were Israel’s biggest enemy. Jonah wanted them to get what was coming to them, certainly not offer them a way out.
So Jonah said no. Actually, he said no and tried to get as far away from God as possible. He set sail for Tarshish, which was the opposite direction of Ninevah. Well, most of you who attended a Sunday school class or two know what happened next. Jonah ended up in the belly of a fish. And, the Lord rescued him from the depths of the ocean and graciously put Jonah back on his path so that he could fulfill his mission.
“Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” – Jonah 1:17
Ladies, you can’t hide from God. He will find you. In fact, He never lost you. His eyes are always on you. God has specific assignments that you – and only you – can accomplish. He wants you to walk in your calling, and He will take drastic measures to make that happen.
Make no mistake, God will sometimes ask us to do things we don’t want to do, but we need to trust that it’s the right thing even if we can’t understand it at the time. There is much Kingdom work to be done, and God is asking us to do our part. Listen, I’m not Jonah, and neither are you, but God still wants to use us to accomplish His purposes here on earth.
Whether or not you obey God’s request is entirely up to you. But, remember, God will not let you run from Him. He will pursue you with fervency. He has a perfect plan and path for your life, and He wants you to walk in it. It’s time to stop avoiding it. If you do, you might just end up in the belly of a fish!
