I received an e-mail this week and the story of Jonah came to mind after reading it. Jonah chapter 1, God calls Jonah to go to Nineveh to deliver a message to the people there. Instead of answering Gods call to do his will Jonah ran away. He got on a boat for a city in the opposite direction. God sent a great storm that threatened the lives of all on board. Jonah knew that it was because of his disobedience the storm was upon them. The men threw Jonah into the sea and instantly the waters were calm. God sent a great fish to swallow him and there he stayed for three days and three nights. Chapter 2, Jonah prayed from inside the fish.
“In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry. You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas and the current swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’ The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you brought my life up from the pit, O Lord my God. When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord.�
And the Lord God commanded the fish to spit Jonah out onto dry land. Chapter 3, Jonah went to Nineveh and told them God’s message. The people of Nineveh believed what Jonah told them and repented from their wicked ways and fasted and sat in the dirt in sackcloth. God saw what they did and had compassion for them and spared their lives.
Yes there are other ways to serve God that would be easier. I would not have to make such a life change and would still be able to do good in his name. The problem with that is it is still being disobedient to what the Lord called me to do. It is not for us to question the will of God. He has a plan for our lives and will relieve it to us in his time. It is our job to listen and act when called.
My friend sent this to me and I find it very fitting.
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do,� he said while delivering a 2005 commencement address at Stanford University.
“If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.�
-Steve Jobs speech-
