Readings for today: Jonah 1-4, Psalms 129
Jonah is my favorite minor prophet. Mainly because I see so much of myself in him. I resonate deeply with his story. I have had years where I ran from God. I have had years where I ran towards God. I have had seasons of disobedience and seasons of obedience. I have had moments when I served God with a grateful heart and moments when I served him with, shall we say, less than pure motivations. Through it all, God continues to use me to make His glory known. God continues to use all the good and bad and ugly of my life to bring about His will. I am frankly amazed because I would have given up on me a long time ago.
One of the core doctrines of the Reformed Tradition is the “perseverance of the saints.” It’s the “P” in the acronym “TULIP.” It’s also one of the most misunderstood. Many believe falsely that it has to do with our perseverance. It has to do with our faithfulness to God over time. Our long obedience in the same direction. And while that is important to be sure, it’s actually not what this doctrine is referencing. The preservation of the saints is really about the perseverance of God in preserving His saints. It is God who perseveres with us not we who persevere with God. It is God who is faithful even in the face of our unfaithfulness. It is God who pursues us even when we run from Him. And this is the heart of the story of Jonah.
Just look at the many ways God makes Himself known through His reluctant prophet. Jonah starts out by running from his call. He boards a ship to Tarshish to get as far away from Nineveh as possible. But God whips up a storm to stop him in his tracks. Though the sailors do all they can to lighten their cargo, row to shore, and get everyone to safety; God is relentless. He will not stop until they throw Jonah overboard into the raging sea. Once they offer Jonah up as a sacrifice, the winds and the waves calm down and they fall on their knees before the Lord. “The men were seized by great fear of the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.” (Jonah 1:16 CSB) A similar thing takes place through Jonah’s preaching. Before he even gets a third of the way through the city, God works mightily and miraculously through him to bring the pagan Assyrians to saving faith. It’s one of the greatest evangelistic campaigns recorded in the Old Testament. “Then the people of Nineveh believed God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth — from the greatest of them to the least.” (Jonah 3:5 CSB) Finally, when Jonah’s hatred and anger get the best of him at the end of the book, God perseveres with his prophet. He continues to show him grace and mercy and unconditional love.
Now think about your own life. Think about the many ways God has persevered with you over the years. Think about the many ways God has met your unfaithfulness with faithfulness. Disobedience with forgiveness and grace. Hatred and anger with love and mercy. God is so good to us. He will never leave us or forsake us. He will relentlessly pursue us with His love throughout the course of our lives.
Readings for tomorrow: Micah 1-4, Psalms 130