The Heart of God When His Children Disobeys - The Story Of Jonah

Today, I want to share to you what I learned from my sister last night when she called and shared something to me.  Have you heard of the story of Jonah?  You know, Jonah, the man of God who was swallowed by a Whale for 3 days because he decided to disobey God and ran away.  And when he decided to repent and follow God, the whale vomited him out to the place where he was supposed to go and speak, the city of Nineveh.  You see, the people of Nineveh is Jonah’s mortal enemy.  So when God told him to go to the city and preach to the people, he doesn’t want to do it because he doesn’t want them to be saved.  So he ran away and boarded a boat going opposite to where Nineveh was.  At night, there was a storm, while everyone was panicking and fearing for their lives, Jonah was sleeping soundly down below.  To make the story short, Jonah told the people to throw him out of the boat to stop the storm and they did so, which is when the big fish (Whale) swallowed him inside his belly for the next 3 days until he repented.

My sister shared to me the heart of God when His children disobeys or literally decides to follow their own will rather than His. 

1. God’s eyes remain on you – When Jonah decided to disobey and ran away, God didn’t say, “you don’t want to follow me Jonah, ok, you’re on your own.  I won’t care about you and I’ll let you be.”  God remained faithful and true to His words that He will never leave Jonah nor forsake him even when it was Jonah who was already running away from Him.  God’s eyes were fixed on him and never let him out of His sight.  

Many times, we feel like when we made a mistake or when we sin against God, we feel like God is so far away or that He will no longer listens to us.  We feel like He has abandoned us because we think we deserve to be abandoned for what we did.  But you know what peeps, God is faithful to us even when we are not to Him.  His love is not based on how much we love Him; His goodness to us is not based on our goodness towards Him or on how keen we are to follow His commands/will.  His love is unconditional and everlasting.  He will not tolerate our sins/mistakes but He will not leave us.  He will change us when we allow Him to

2. God pursues us – When Jonah boarded the boat and they were already travelling away from Nineveh, God sent a storm.  Again, God pursued Jonah and even used the storm to let him know that what he is doing is wrong.  That’s why when the people were panicking and they woke up Jonah and asked why he was so calmed in the midst of the terrible storm; Jonah was not afraid and he knew what the people needed to do to stop the storm (which is to throw him out). 

Again, how many times have God tried to reach out when we have blocked Him from our lives because of our shame, our guilt, our pride, etc.  We ran away from Him because we failed Him, yet He chases us back.  Oh what such love God has for us!  Isn’t it amazing? Know that no matter how many times you’ve sinned or failed Him, He will pursue you always.  His Grace, Mercy and Forgiveness is readily given when we seek and ask for it.  So don’t be afraid to come to God when we made a mistake. 

3. God will never give up on us until His work is done in us – Jonah was inside the Whale’s belly for 3 days and was there the whole time, he was stubborn and unrepentant.  Only when Jonah decided to repent was he vomited out of the Whale’s belly.  God will wait no matter how long it will take for us to realize that all we need to do is come back to Him.  

NOTE: God’s love is amazing and we clearly do not deserve it but life on earth is a journey and time will come when we will fail or make mistakes, it is bound to happen since we are not perfect, but know that when it happens, don’t hesitate to come back to God.  His love for you and me is endless but remember that God will return soon and when that time comes, judgment day appears.  God is patient and He will do whatever it takes and no matter how long it needs for you to realize who He is in your life and surrender but know that although His love is unending for us, time has its limit.  Don’t wait until it’s too late.

Let us dwell in His love always and like a child, go back to our Father, knowing that when we sin, our Father will forgive us.  However don’t make God’s love as an excuse to continue sinning but allow His love to show You how to live a life pleasing to Him.

Have an amazing Freeday with Jesus!