Jonah’s Fear

Friday, April 8

Jonah’s Fear     

The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.” Jonah 1:1-2

God told Jonah to go to Nineveh and share a message that would save the people living in terrible ways. But Jonah ran. Jonah knew going there would be hard. He knew the people would be different. Jonah heard of their vicious and cannibalistic ways. He knew he wouldn’t be received well. Jonah was afraid of what would happen if he went and did what God said to do, so instead of doing what he knew he should do, he went a little sideways. In fact, he hopped on a boat going in the opposite direction.

Jonah was avoiding what he perceived to be too hard for him. He believed the stories he had told himself and predetermined his own failure. Sound familiar? Have you been avoiding what you have perceived as too hard for you? Have you believed the stories you’ve been telling yourself of predetermined failure? If so, then you like Jonah are letting fear drive this car, and my guess is, just like Jonah fear has you going in the wrong direction.

This is what happens when we allow fear to drive. Fear has us hiding when we are supposed to show up. Fear has us chained up when we are supposed to be unleashed. Fear has us doubting when we are supposed to believe. Fear has us on a boat heading in the wrong direction, in the middle of a storm.

Jonah was a man designed by God to fulfill a purpose. You too are designed by God to fulfill a purpose in this life. If you surrender your life and your plans to the Lord, you will not regret finding out what He has in store. It will likely test your limits, make you uncomfortable and call out the courage in you, but the end result is far better than anything we could ever plan for ourselves.