He was a faithful prophet of God, full of zeal and integrity. He knew right from wrong. Thats why Gods call for him to preach to the godless people of Nineveh caught him off guard. He may have had zeal and honor, but compassion and love werent part of his spirit. So in a fit of anger and rebellion, he disobeyed God and went the opposite direction of Nineveh.
But God was intent that Jonah would follow His command, and He sent a storm and a fish to get him going in the right direction. (See Jonah 1:1-17.)
Amazingly, Jonahs preaching saved a people from destructionthough his preaching never did instill love in his own heart.
The next time a storm forms around you, it just may be an opportunity for you to do something bold for God on behalf of others. After all, those who have survived the storm can bless and help others who are in a storm of their own.
Father, help me to be obedient to Your calling on my life, and give me eyes of mercy toward others. Amen.
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
We have a saying in our area, 'Religion is for people who do not want to go to hell, and spirituality is for people who have already been there.'
IMHO, most (if not all) forms of tension is a type of spiritual crisis (relapse). The best way to provide hope to those in crisis is to bring our own spiritual experiences (recovery) to there aid.
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"... unless this person can experience an entire psychic change there is very little hope of recovery." Dr. Silkworth. (Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Ed. p.xxix)
