Today is August 31

Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.

Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”

Today’s reading is from book of Jonah, chapter 2.

1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God.
2 He said:
“In my distress I called to the LORD,
and he answered me.
From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help,
and you listened to my cry.
3 You hurled me into the depths,
into the very heart of the seas,
and the currents swirled about me;
all your waves and breakers
swept over me.
4 I said, ‘I have been banished
from your sight;
yet I will look again
toward your holy temple.’
5 The engulfing waters threatened me,
the deep surrounded me;
seaweed was wrapped around my head.
6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down;
the earth beneath barred me in forever.
But you, LORD my God,
brought my life up from the pit.
10 And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Jonah is a story filled with irony… the Bible Project refers to it as an ancient satire. Jonah is a prophet, called by God to deliver a message to Ninevah… and he does the exact opposite. God literally tells Jonah to go east… and Jonah runs as far west as he can. He boards a boat, gets caught in a storm, and while the pagan sailors discern rightly that there’s something spiritual happening, Jonah the prophet puts his blood on their hands when he suggest the sailors just dump him overboard. Jonah is serving as an example of someone who is doing the exact opposite of what they’re supposed to do. Is there any part of this story that you can identify with? Have you ever heard God say go east… only to run in the opposite direction?

Listen to the story again, considering that this is really only the beginning of Jonah’s resistance to God’s heart, and God’s commands in this story.

“But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit…” Over and over, in absurd ways, Jonah is a story of God’s willingness, God’s desire even – to rescue! He rescues Jonah – the disobedient and complaining prophet. He later rescues the whole city after they repent. The story of Jonah tells us something important about our proclivities to run from God and God’s grace… and about God’s constant pursuit of those He loves. Talk to the Lord now about His constant pursuit of you… and if there are places where you know you are running away from Him, talk to God about that as well…

Music Credit:
"Slow to Anger" - Vineyard Soul (YouTube)