Sistas Saving Sistas for Christ

Jonah 1-3

 

 

I love the story of Jonah. Jonah reminds me so much of myself and how rebellious I can be at times. Jonah was sent to bring repentance to the Assyrian folk of the city of Nineveh. It was quite an honor that God had bestowed upon Jonah to be called to do such a work. But Jonah refused to see it that way. Initially Jonah's focus was more on himself than is was for those unrepentant people. 

 

Jonah was just like we are sometimes because he passed judgment on a people before actually getting to know the heart of the mission that God predestined for them. And in order to be an agent of change and minister to folk that you don't want to have anything to do with a nonjudgmental attitude, humility, and fortitude are required, which at that point in time Jonah did not have. 

 

Sistas, let's take a look at Jonah. "The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Arise, Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD." Jonah 1:1, 2 

 

Okay, let's look at the word Arise for a moment. I believe that when the Lord said the word Arise He wanted the Jonah that He foreknew, the Jonah that He saw before his father sperm connected with the egg in His mothers womb, and the Jonah that He knew would one day be the prophet that would no longer resist the promptings of His Spirit. 

 

But instead through Jonah's disobedience, the Jonah of the flesh, the rebellious, self righteous, and judgmental Jonah came forth. The word of God said. "but Jonah rose up." not the Prophet Jonah rose up. It is amazing how the old girl will rise up in us sometimes when we strive to buck up against the will of the Father. Jonah had yet to walk in His preordained calling of prophet. 

 

Girlz, the definition of arise is to come into being; originate; to come up from a lower to a higher position; to move upward. God was calling him to be excellent but spiritually Jonah was not there. Jonah initially chose to settle for mediocrity as opposed to excellence. He was not ready to walk in his calling just as some of us are not ready. But God was still patient with him just as He is with us. He did not do Jonah like some of us would and diss him.