The Perseverance of God

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

Reluctant Evangelist

Readings for today: Jonah 1-4

There may not be a more reluctant and yet more successful evangelist than Jonah. Called by God to preach repentance in the capital city of his mortal enemies, he runs in the opposite direction. (The picture above is from the ancient seaport of Joppa.) In order to bend him to His will, God sends a storm to turn him back. In the midst of the fierce storm, after the sailors have implored their gods for help and done all they can to lighten the load, Jonah is given the opportunity to share his faith with them. Their response? Worship. Sacrifice. Vows. And God stills the waters and calms the seas.

After being vomited up onto dry land by the giant fish, Jonah goes to Nineveh and preaches repentance. What was their response? Worship. Fasting and prayer. Saving faith. And God relented from the disaster He was going to bring onto the city. Was Jonah happy? Not at all. He was enraged. He lost his temper. He yelled at God. “God! I knew it - when I was back home, I knew this was going to happen! That’s why I ran off to Tarshish! I knew you were sheer grace and mercy, not easily angered, rich in love, and ready at the drop of a hat to turn your plans of punishment into a program of forgiveness! So God, if you won’t kill them, kill me! I’m better off dead!” (Jonah 4:2-3 MSG) Can you imagine the hatred that would drive this kind of response?

Reading Jonah causes us to ponder our own reluctance to evangelize. What is it that keeps us from sharing our faith? Fear? Insecurity? Disobedience? Bias? Prejudice? Hatred? What is it that keeps us from sharing the good news with those who need it so desperately? Most of the people I know are afraid to share because they don’t feel they have enough knowledge of the Bible or the faith. But how much is enough? Isn’t it enough simply to share what God has done for you? What He means to you? Still others are afraid of how the other person might respond. They fear rejection. They fear dismissal. They are afraid of the tension it might create in the relationship. But if we are able to let go of any agendas or need to control others or force our perspective on those around us, are we not then free simply to share how Jesus changed our lives? How His presence fills us with incredible joy and peace and strength? Still others don’t share because of their anger or bitterness or hatred for the other person. Most of the time these feelings are grounded in painful experiences they suffered at the hands of those around them that cause them to withhold. They don’t want those who’ve caused so much pain to come to saving faith. I can understand this perspective. I’ve felt it myself. So did Jonah. And yet God wants all to be saved and come to a knowledge of His truth. Even our enemies.

So what answers does Jonah provide? Not much. Even at the end of the book, Jonah is still frustrated and angry and wanting to die. The book ends with a question. A question that remains to be answered by every “Jonah”, every reluctant evangelist, who has come after him. What if God offers mercy instead of judgment to those who are lost? What if God offers forgiveness rather than punishment to those who’ve committed great crimes? What if God takes more pleasure in the repentance of the wicked than He does their destruction? Are we willing to trust Him by sharing our faith?

Readings for tomorrow: None