God’s compelling call gives second chances to the most unlikely people to go to the most unlikely places to do the most unlikely things. This ought to bring about a response in us.

First, our hearts should be thankful and moved to accept God's second chances. Jesus came to offer us a second chance at life, though we have rebeled and chased after death. None of us are as far gone as Jonah. God's grace extends to the deepest and darkest places!

Second, we should respond to God's authoritative call. You would think that God would look for a person that had some compassion for the people of Nineveh. Perhaps a man who had a warm and special place in his heart to serve people far from God. But that's not Jonah! He hates Nineveh, but God is in the business of using unlikely people to accomplish his purposes. Jonah's story causes us to ask, "Who have I excluded and written off as beyond God's reach?" What if God were to write us off in in the same way we write off others?

Finally, we surrender to God's compelling call. The text calls Nineveh, "a great city to God," which means at the very least that God loved the people of Nineveh like he loves all of his creatures. What motivated God to call out against Nineveh was not only his wrath against their evil, but his love for them as well.

Will we surrender to the Lord's compelling call of salvation? Will we come to him and seek mercy while it may be found? If you would like to respond to this message in some way or would like prayer, then please reach out to us at [email protected].