
“The word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai”…
Lucky Jonah. God never speaks to me, we lament. I need direction, but I don’t hear His voice. I want to get closer to Him, but He seems silent. I’d like to do something for Him, but He never gives me any instructions. Why?
I think it’s sometimes because of His mercy. If He told us clearly what direction He wanted us to go, He knows we would balk. If He drew close to us and whispered the truth He really wanted to say, He foresees our defensive protests. If He assigned us the task He longs give us – the work He’s designed and gifted us for – He know we’d scoot in the other direction, just like Jonah.
He’s sparing us the bad decision and the broken relationship and the consequences… the storm and the sinking and the fish. If He spoke and we didn’t respond, it would only increase the distance between Him and us. Our excuses and rationalizations would harden our hearts.
I don’t know why God spoke to Jonah when He knew the response He would get – except that He loved Nineveh so much He had to let them know. And He had lessons for Jonah – and for us. One lesson is this: Those who hear God’s voice need hearts that are ready to receive what He says, to believe His truth, to accept His guidance, to act on His instructions. Otherwise we are far worse off than we were before. This should not make us afraid to hear from God; it should remind us that His whisper is not to be taken lightly.
Do we long to hear that whisper? Do we want the word of the Lord to come to us? Then we must get our hearts and minds ready. We must ask for receptive and obedient spirits, so that whatever He says to us, we will do – His way, in His time, for His purposes, in the power of His Spirit. Then the word of the Lord can safely come to us… and we will be blessed, others will be helped, and He will be honored and worshipped and glorified.
1 comment:
Sandy mentions that we complain because we don't hear God's voice, don't hear His direction. She says that this may be due to His mercy.
I've also heard complaints (especially from non-believers) about not seeing God. If He were visible, they would obey Him, follow Him, worship Him.... Not seeing Him is also due to His mercy and love. He told Moses that if Moses saw His face, Moses would die. Our sin-damaged selves cannot survive the sight of Him. His love for us drives Him to hide His face from us - to be invisible so that we may live.
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