O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. Psalm 63:1-8

Jonah made a mistake. Granted, it was probably driven by personal or near-personal experience. He had no desire for God to show any mercy to the nation/state that had murdered and debased so many people, especially his own nation. He knew the breadth of God’s mercy and compassion. So, he went the opposite direction, to escape his call, and ultimately hoping God’s wrath would befall the murderous Assyrians.

But God had revealed himself to Jonah, making a particular call to him. Jonah demonstrates his struggle with God’s call by trying to escape and attempting his own death by being tossed into the sea. God knew what was going to happen, and demonstrated his desire for Jonah’s obedience with the big fish and comfortable fish belly accommodations. God’s deliverance showed his unwavering and singular direction for Jonah. This uncanny story might even reflect our own experiences.

God leads us to step outside ourselves and pursue others. We may struggle, like Jonah did, because what we’re called to may appear unseemly. For whatever reason, we try to go in the opposite direction. While God can grow his Kingdom by whatever means he desires, whether we like it or not, sometimes we’re that means and there is no other. The best we can do is to surrender and pursue. If we run away from what God’s wanting us to do, the opportunity to serve unselfishly will be lost.

I wonder what the story would have been like had Jonah pursued the path God chose rather than running away? Jonah’s immediate obedience to God would have been a better experience, avoiding the tossing sea and the fish stomach experiences. I know I’ve had times when I knew where God wanted me, but I chose another path. Blessings were there, but the journey could have been less bumpy. Should that most difficult of calls come in your life, if it hasn’t already, know that God’s purpose for you is eternal, not temporal, and that God delights in our obedience, and our love for God is the reason for obedience. Praying through the passage below, as often as you need, may help you put choices into perspective should our love for God match David’s.

1 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. 3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. 4 So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. 5 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, 6 when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; 7 for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. 8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. Psalm 63:1-8

By Rich Obrecht

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