Tuesday 22 Aug 2017

August 22: Jonah 2:5-9

Key Verse: Jonah 2:8
Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them.

Devotion:
One thing Jonah learned the hard way is God is actually our One True God and when we try and do anything contrary to Him, we only go towards damaging ourselves! God has given each one of us a free will, the ability to be able to choose what we want in our lives, but as the story of Jonah reminds us, our ways are often the opposite of what God wants in our lives. When we choose our own ways, we are hurting ourselves! God is trying hard to give us the chances He knows we deserve and trying hard to show us what we can achieve with Him!

Why do we insist on going it alone or doing things our own way instead of finding out the best way to do things? Pride... Why don't we let go of our pride and listen to what is best? Vanity... Between the two of them, it looks like we don't have much hope at all, but when we are willing to set aside one for the good of God, then we will be set free from both. Jonah was not willing to let go of either because he was not willing to go to tell evil people about God. He was not willing to set aside his vanity even after God had personally told him to. And where did it get him? The strangest place of all – inside the belly of a great fish.

God made sure he was totally trapped, but totally safe and still alive! Jonah knew of his circumstances. He knew where he was and felt the water, the blackness and depths and even the weeds wrapped around his head! But God kept him alive knowing what was in his heart. Just when Jonah was at his lowest and about to give up on everything, he remembered God and lifted up his prayers to Him. He remembered that God was what he should be focusing on and finally put aside his pride and vanity and surrendered to God's will. That is when God answered his prayers and continued to work the miracle he was living in. That was when he was set free again – but this time he would remember to listen to God because it is God who does know what is best for us and for the community and for the church!

Points to Ponder:
Do you willingly accept good things when they happen to you?

Why should we accept anything less than God's privileges?