1Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,Nineveh was a very sinful and wicked place. Other prophets had gone to Nineveh and died. Everyone and anyone feared this place because if anyone spoke wrong of it they were killed.
2Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. 3But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. 4But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.
Jonah was no different.
He wanted to flee and get as far away as possible from this place. He was willing to pay a fare just to go to the opposite direction from where the Lord was calling him to go.
We function best under a lot of pressure… it will either bring out the best in us or the worst. If it’s your worst, the pressure will be more and greater to purge out what your worst may be. As with the storm or ’mighty tempest’ as the Bible tells us, that came against the ship Jonah was on;
10Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him. Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. 11Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. 12And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you. 13Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them. 14Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee. 15So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. 16Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows. 17Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Jonah was then thrown into the raging sea and swallowed by a great fish… now could anything get any worse?? God was purging out the worse in Jonah so he could ‘develop’ Jonah into the man of God He needed him to be.
So when God speaks to you or sends you in a direction you’d rather not go… remember the story of Jonah and how God made him ’uncomfortable’ in order for him to be used, healed and delivered from himself or his worse.
'God is not interested in our comfort but in our development' HighlandI don’t know about you but Id rather have the pressures of life, circumstances, trials, tragities and the like to bring out the best in me than the worst. I'm not saying im perfect, but I want to praise Jesus thru my storm and worship the one who knows whats best for me... Why would I want to have things get worst when they are already not at their best??
I thank God for Bro. Highland and his insight on the story of Jonah… I have heard from the Lord.
