Jonah 1

Scripture  Jonah 1:3 

But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. Observation-What does it say?  This book was named after the main character and was likely authored by him as well.  At the onset of the story, Jonah is sent by God to the land of Nineveh to share the message of His love and tell them to repent.  Ironically enough, the name Jonah means “dove.”  Throughout the Bible, the dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit and peace.  But, instead of bringing peace to the people of Nineveh, Jonah ran in the opposite direction of God’s calling.  Nineveh was a city, as described in the book of Nahum, who was set against the Lord and plotted evil against the people of Israel.  Even though Jonah was disobedient, God has a way of making sure his plans are carried out.   Understanding-What does it mean?  I will be having my “Virtual Graduation” ceremony tomorrow for my bachelor’s degree.  A degree that is intended to take four years took me a nice even 18 and a half years.  But, college and I have had a funny relationship.  The first time I tried to go full time, I was in a car accident that almost took my life.  The second time I tried to go full time, which was at Bible college, I got in another accident that totaled my truck and broke my mom’s back.  Later on in that semester, I found myself in the hospital in need of “exploratory surgery.”  Exploratory surgery is never a phrase you want to hear.   After finding a career, I tried to go back again, but was interrupted by the birth of my three sons.  As time went on, I began to believe it was never going to be a possibility for me.  Looking at it now, I can see God was taking me on a different path than I was trying to go down.  Much like Jonah, I was trying to do things on my own terms.  But, God had a different way, which included a program he intended, which made me grow in ways I would never have thought possible.  And, also like Jonah, it changed my view of the Gospel message and who God wants to hear the message of His hope. God has a way of making sure His plans are carried out, even when that means major accidents, being swallowed by a giant fish, or even the death of His son.  Because of this, we can find comfort in His words, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9) Life Application  Holy Spirit, help me to have the humility to trust your plans.  Give me the patience to go through the hard times in life. In the good times, help me to give you the glory.  Help me to always remember your love is for all the earth.
-Tyler Galloway