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This week's focus: Obedience

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” - Jonah 1:2

It is a privilege to be called by God. When He gives us an assignment, we should be humbled and grateful to be chosen to work alongside Him. Unfortunately, many Christians ignore the call, as Jonah did at first, and choose to sleep instead of serve.

In the Old Testament, the Lord commanded Jonah to arise and go. Jonah was given the task of preaching to a wicked city and warning them to repent before it was too late. Instead of being honored that God gave him this life-saving assignment, he made the decision to run. Jonah falsely believed he could flee from the presence of the Lord. His method of transportation to escape was a ship setting out to sea. In his haste, he must have forgotten Who made both the sea and the dry land!

Not long after he boarded the ship, “The Lord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm so that ship was about to break” (Jonah 1:4). What did Jonah do in the midst of all the chaos around him? He made another bad decision and went to sleep.

As the storm raged on, the frightened sailors were doing all they could to save themselves but quickly found out they were as powerless as the false gods they were crying out to. Ironically, Jonah, the only one who knew the true God, had to be told yet again to arise! The captain of the ship admonished him to wake up and pray before they all perished. He told Jonah to cry out to the very God Jonah was trying to flee from when he got on the boat! The men on board were religious but they didn't know the God of the Bible so their prayers for help were in vain. In desperation, the captain told Jonah to cry out to his God.

Once Jonah explained to them who the one true God was, the sailors (now being informed) began to call on the Lord! Romans 10:14 is a great reminder for us today, “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?”

Jonah was successful in sharing the good news with people who had never heard. Even in his rebellion, God was teaching him that it wasn’t Jonah’s job to save (only God can do that) but to share.

Right now, our world is in the middle of a storm and God is calling each and every one of His children to arise and go! Go and tell others about our great and mighty God, tell them that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and warn them about the danger of running away.

Now is not the time to sleep but to serve and share. Jesus confirmed this when He gave us our marching orders in Matthew 28:19-20, “Go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."

Let us not be like Jonah and run away from our assignment. May we wake up, arise, and go!