I hope you've enjoyed the past two chapters of Jonah found here and here, and I can't wait to keep going! Please read with me Jonah 3!
"Jonah Goes to Nineveh
3 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”
3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. 4 Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
6 When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7 This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh:
“By the decree of the king and his nobles:
Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink.8 But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”
10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened."
So right after the fish spit Jonah out on the beach, God calls him again to go to the wretched place. Jonah obeyed (since he fully repented and went 180' degrees opposite of what he was doing which was running away), and started saying what God wanted him to say. Those wretched and horrible people actually believed and freaked out! This is because of the Word of God! It's so much more powerful than we give it credit! When you put into perspective that God is the one in charge, God is the one who's calling you to do something, God is your creator....there's nothing that can stand in the way. He can make things happen that you've never expected, whether you've been nervous about a new job or a new church or even just evangelizing to people who seem like they don't care. All things are possible through Christ. Jonah legitimately ran from what God called him to do, and after he repented and called on God, God called him back and was able to bless him and use him to save the city! God is able if you are willing to say, "I'm all yours God, use me and help me have an open heart!" It's the most powerful thing to let your hands go and let God.
If you need prayer requests, please check out my prayer request page --> it is an anonymous posting directly to me, and I'd be happy to pray for you. Don't forget to finish this book strong with the next post: "Me and Jonah!"