Based on the LGG study, Our God Who Pursues, w2d4/p79
Jonah 3:5 The people of Nineveh believed in God, and they declared a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them.
Let’s recap what led up to the people’s repentance. Jonah was told to go, instead he ran the other way and ended up in the belly of a great fish, rescued by God and now restored to be told, once again, “Go to Nineveh and proclaim the message of the LORD.” Jonah then went throughout the city – “announcing, ‘At the end of forty days, Nineveh will be overthrown!’”
The following is another wonderful commentary by the team off Love God Greatly about the adventures of Jonah in the third chapter.
INTO THE TEXT How many times have you said or thought of someone you know, “They’ll never change. What’s the point?” It can be exhausting to hope for something different in a person when they’ve never shown any sign of a desire to change. Jonah felt this strongly when he finally made it to Nineveh.
Even though Jonah just had this incredible experience of salvation from God, we see that his attitude toward the people of Nineveh hadn’t changed at all. We read in verse four that Jonah proclaimed a message of repentance to the Ninevhites. In Hebrew, the message was only five words. As we’ll see tomorrow, Jonah secretly hoped that God would not be merciful with this wicked nation.
Here’s the thing. When we proclaim the gospel, it is not about us. It’s not about how eloquent, winsome, or persuasive we can be. It’s not about how long our message is. It’s about God and the Holy Spirit’s movement in a person’s heart. God can use anyone and any moment to open a person’s eyes to the truth of the gospel. After all, Jonah’s message was quite short. Yet, God, in His kindness, still chose to use Jonah’s words to transform the entire city.
In Jonah’s eyes, there was absolutely no hope or no reason to expect the Ninevites to change, but God is greater. No one is ever too far gone. As Jonah just experienced, God can rescue anyone, even from the darkest depths.
God has called all believers to be part of His rescue mission through Jesus Christ. We have the opportunity to proclaim the good news of the gospel to all those around us whether they are far or near to God.
PRAYER
God, thank you that you are a merciful God. You rescued me from sin, and you can rescue anyone, no matter what they’ve done. Help me to faithfully proclaim your gospel wherever I go. Amen.
Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish. 2 He said,
“I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and Lord, you heard me!
Jonah 1:17-2:2
These beautiful words, highlighting today’s portion of our study, are from today’s LGG journal entry.
Into The Text
Jonah was at the lowest point of his life, both literally and figuratively. It would have been easy for him to blame God and grow bitter. Instead, Jonah recognized that it was his own actions that led him to this place in the belly of a great fish. Notice what Jonah does. He cries out in prayer. Jonah pours out his heart before the Lord. His prayer is raw and honest. And what does God do? He hears and answers.
In our darkest valleys, God hears our prayers. He cares for us and responds, though it may not be immediate or in the way we expect. But He always hears.
For some, you may find yourself in a pit due to your own actions. If so, call out to Jesus. He wants to have a relationship with you. There is no sin that is too great for the cross and grace of Christ. All you have to do is pray in faith, asking for forgiveness.
God is in the business of redeeming that which was lost or that which is stuck in the pit. Your lowest moments or seasons of life will not be wasted. There is hope found in Jesus.
For others, you may find yourself in a pit due to hard life circumstances or the actions of others. Know that you are not alone. You have not been forgotten. These seasons feel long and weary, but it is not the end of your story. David writes in Psalm 23 that “even when I must walk through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me” (23:4). Cry out to God in your hurt and pain. It will not catch Him off guard. Depend on Him to give you strength for each day.
Jonah’s prayer realigned his heart back to God so that he would be ready to faithfully follow God’s call to go to Nineveh. May your prayers today bring you peace and trust in the only place where true life is found, in Christ. As Jonah’s story wasn’t over, yours is not either.
My Prayer of Response
Father, thank You for the testimonies you bring from hardships and tragedies. Thank You for letting us see how You can work things together for good even through or despite our bad choices and situations. Thank You that this isn’t just a story but that it is truth played out on the pages of Your Word, in the lives of Your people bearing witness to who You are and the miraculous things You can do! May we be quick to share the testimonies of Your people and of the work You have and are doing in our own lives. In the mighty name of Jesus – Amen!
The More We Know
For more insight into today’s passage, read today’s LGG Blog Post
The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.”
3But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish.
Jonah 1:1-3
God’s Plan ~vs~ Jonah’s Plan
My journal entry today consisted of two columns on either side of the page, which contained the passage for today’s journey. One column included God’s plan, the other Jonah’s. When I finished the plans mapped out from the Scripture, I connected them with the words: Nineveh-vs-Tarshish. However, I could have easily written God’s plan vs Jonah’s or God’s plan vs man’s … or, for that matter, God’s plans vs mine. Regardless of the tagline we give today’s study, it is a clear reminder that we have a choice to make –> follow ‘our’ will/plan or align ‘our’ will/plan with God’s and faithfully follow where He leads/sends.
God’s Plan
God sent a very specific message to Jonah
The message included:
a time frame: immediately
a location/people
a cause/purpose
God noticed their wickedness
to announce judgment
Jonah 1:1-2
Jonah’s Plan
Jonah’s plan was to escape God’s commission of Him for Nineveh
he immediately headed to Tarshish
by way of Joppa and a merchant ship
he paid to get far away from the LORD
Jonah 1:3
God’s Call of His People
Throughout the Bible, we read of God calling His people to places or tasks or simply to trust Him. God called… Noah to build an ark1, Abraham to leave all he knew and father a great nation2, Moses to lead His people out of bondage3, Joshua to bring down the walls of Jericho4, and He called Hosea to “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her.5..”. The list of what God has called/led/sent His people to do goes on and on, but the greatest example of difficult and seemingly impossible callings/plans is the one God gave Jesus, His only begotten son, who was sent6 to save His people from their sins. God didn’t send Him in a hero’s cape or kingly crown, but as a baby born of a virgin. God sent Jesus to take on flesh, experience threats, troubles, and temptations of this world, teach, preach, heal and die on a cross for the sins of the world and rise again the third day – crushing the enemy! It was just as God had announced in the Garden (Genesis 3:15)7.
And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”
Genesis 3:15
The Importance of God’s Callings
It isn’t my point to contrast or compare these callings, but to help us remember the many callings of God throughout the Scriptures and see their importance. Jonah’s story is one of these and is equally a great example of the lengths to which He will go to pursue His people, reach them with the message of repentance, and save them from their sins.
More than a Whale
On our journey this week, we will follow Jonah from Tarshish to Nineveh. We will see that Jonah’s story is more than that of a whale. It is the saga of disobedience and revival. It is a beautiful picture of how our personal revival isn’t just about or for us but rather how God will be glorified and use our obedience to revive others from death to life.
Disobedience and revival are the key themes in this book. Jonah’s experience in the belly of the whale provides him with a unique opportunity to seek a unique deliverance, as he repents during this equally unique retreat. His initial disobedience leads not only to his personal revival, but to that of the Ninevites as well. Many classify the revival which Jonah brings to Nineveh as one of the greatest evangelistic efforts of all time.
gotquestions.org
What is God Calling You to Do?
Friends, God still calls His people to serve Him and share Him today. Do you know what He wants you to do? Are you doing it? Whether it is to serve as a greeter, a nursery worker, a teacher, preacher, musician/singer, encourager, accountant, or doctor… He has called all of His children8 to love Him, love others as Jesus loved us, and go and make disciples9.
Want to know why we should pay attention to God’s calling on our lives? Visit the links below and dig deeper into the purpose and importance of God’s commissioning of His people.
Prayer
Father God, Thank You for the story of Jonah and for the reminder that we are to be prepared with a faithful yes – regardless of what You call us to do or where You commission us to go. Help us to not run away from You but towards You, knowing that You will lead us, help us, and strengthen us for the tasks and trusting that You will be glorified in our obedience. As we continue throughout the week, may all those whose eyes fall upon this page be led to a personal revival and used to revive those around them with the truth of Your Word, love, and promises. – In Jesus’ Name ~ Amen!
We move the heart of God when we do as He directs.
When the people cried out as they were directed, when they returned to the LORD as He gave them the opportunity to do – it was “Then the LORD became zealous for His land;
It is a wonderful thing when the LORD responds to His people.
“Then the LORD became zealous for His land; He had compassion on His people. The LORD responded to His people.”
The LORD sends His people hope of restoration.
He tells them, “Look! I am about to restore your grain as well as fresh wine and olive oil.” He promises them that they “will be fully satisfied” and that He would “never again make them an object of mockery among the nations.”
While I realize that this passage probably has a wealth of other truths and teachings, I was struggling to put it into words – but then I read the journal entry1 today from Love God Greatly’s study, “Our God Who Pursues.” I’m sharing it here because it is, in my opinion, the perfect commentary for today’s journey. I pray it is as rich a blessing for you as it is for me.
redeeming what was lost
We read in the previous chapter of Joel how God brought destruction on the people of Israel through the locust plague. His aim was to secure their undivided commitment to Him. They had been half- hearted in their worship, and they had gone after other things and other gods. That’s why God was fighting against His own people in order to bring them to repentance. He still does the same with His people today when we wander away from Him, our first love. He sometimes allows problems and hardships to bring us to repentance and draw us back to Himself.
But now God was going to bring restoration. He was going to make beauty from ashes. Can you imagine the hope that this message brought to the people? After their land had been decimated, God, in His kindness, promises to restore and renew that which was lost.
We see that with God there is hope. Even when we, His people, wander away from Him and let other things or people take priority over Him, God will not let us go. In His fierce love and jealousy, He will draw us back to Himself. He gives us His Holy Spirit who convicts us of our half-heartedness and pours His love into us again as we seek Him.
You may find yourself in a season when the locusts of this life have taken away everything. God, because of His great love for you, is allowing hardship in order to have your full allegiance, your whole- hearted worship. Turn to Him in repentance and put your full trust in Him, because one day He will make all things new. You don’t know how or when, but you know that He will. He has promised it. Believe Him.
PRAYER God, life on this earth is hard, but you are a God of restoration. Help me to trust you no matter what may happen in my life, knowing that you have a plan to one day make all things new. Amen.
Many people mistakenly believe that the God of the Old Testament is a God of wrath and judgment, whereas in the New Testament He is solely characterized by love. However, Joel 2 shows us that God is both angry at sin but full of love towards the sinner. It’s important to know and understand God’s character as it greatly impacts how we live. … While we wait for that coming day, we are charged to live faithful lives. We are to regularly repent and live a life of obedience. When our hearts can view God truly for who he is, it changes the way we live.
LGG Journal/Our God Who Pursues/p49
Friends, as the LGG journal points out today, “It’s important to know and understand God’s character as it greatly impacts how we live.” So, while our focus is on verses 12 and 13, we must first address the overriding theme of Joel’s prophecy, which is “the day of the LORD,1” or as Gotquestions.org describes it, “a day of God’s wrath and judgment.”
It will be such a terrible day that Job’s opening words of the second chapter are a message from the LORD, to “Blow the trumpets in Zion, sound the alarm signal on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land shake with fear, for the day of the LORD is about to come.” If we know the hope of salvation, we may not be as prone to fear the day – yet surely, if we look around us today, it seems there is undoubtedly great cause for alarm – a truth that prompted me to write in the margin of my journal: Should this not also be our message to the people around us and across the world? After all, if the day of the Lord is an awesome, terrible thing, threatening the survival of mankind, as verse eleven announces, should we not also heed the call of repentance and sound the alarm to alert ‘all the inhabitants of the land?’
The day of the Lord is an awesome, terrible thing. Who can possibly survive?
A Call to Repentance
12 That is why the Lord says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. 13 Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish.
Joel 2:11-13
I’ve heard it said that God is a God of second chances, and in verses twelve and thirteen, we see an example of this truth. Joel’s announcement of the coming awesome, terrible day is followed by his message from the Lord for the people to turn to Him while there is still time. You see, God wasn’t interested in their outward expressions of tearing their clothes but rather an inward change of heart that they might return to Him. He desires their hearts be broken for what breaks His heart, and he was giving them more time, or a second opportunity, it would seem, to repent. Don’t miss the beauty of His message that He was ready and waiting to pour out His mercy and compassion as a wonderful reminder that He is slow to get angry and abounding in unfailing love. – When we know this side of God’s character, it shouldn’t just change the way we live, but it should spur us on to sound the alarm so that the people around us will turn to the Lord while there is time.
God doesn’t desire an outward repentance of tearing the clothes, but instead desires an awareness of our sin that brings sorrow on the deepest level – so that we turn to Him and away from the sin.
Prayer of Response
Father, You are a merciful and compassionate God. You are slow to anger and filled with unfailing love. Thank You for letting me know this side of You and for the way it has changed my life through the years. Help me to be better about sounding the alarm so that those around me can turn to You while there is still time. May my heart be broken for what breaks Yours, and may my will align with Yours. – Let sin break my heart so that I always turn away from it – for Your glory – Amen!
“But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, 18 then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.
Deuteronomy 30:17-18
Obedience isn’t always easy. Even for the most compliant child, there are times when our way simply seems easier or better – and we choose it over what we know is right. Admittedly, it is often without giving the choice much thought – though I would venture to say there are times when we put much thought into the choices – and yet still choose our own way over God’s.
Cheering One Another On
Our journey today takes us back to the days of Moses and the Israelites and a warning they received from Moses to choose obedience to God over disobedience. Moses isn’t teaching them something new but reminding them of their commitment to follow God and not turn aside to worship and serve other gods. – Now, maybe it’s because I was a cheerleader in high school, and it’s still part of my chemistry, but I couldn’t help noticing how Moses cheered the people on toward the path God longed for them to choose. He urges them to “Choose life”… (GO-ISRAEL-GO!)… He calls them to “Love the Lord their God”...(GO-ISRAEL-GO!)… He reminds them to play hard and well, saying, “Obey the Lord and be loyal to Him”…(GO-ISRAEL-GO!). Moses wants the Israelites to succeed, so He cheers them on to victory.
But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception.
Hebrews 3:13
When I cheered in high school, it was for our team to win the game, but what Moses cheered for was a matter of life and death. The people were told that the reward of obedience is life and the curse of disobedience is death. One leads to crossing the Jordan into the land that God had promised them, and the other leads to the loss of the life they would otherwise experience. While Moses strongly urges the people of God to obey and not turn away, the choice was ultimately theirs then, and it is still ours today, as we see in Acts 5:29 – where Peter and the other apostles faced the choice to obey God or man, the resolved united reply was: “We must obey God rather than men.” Jesus, like Moses, had obviously cheered His disciples on to victory, teaching them to choose life1, to love God2, and to be loyal to Him3.
God Wants Us to Succeed
God wants His people to be victorious. This is why He sends repeated calls through His messengers for His people to choose life over death by choosing obedience over disobedience. He warns us to be vigilant, like a watchman guarding the city. When the watchman knows the people are in jeopardy, he gets the message out – he sounds the alarm. If the people don’t listen, they are responsible for what happens to them, but if the watchman sits back and does nothing, Ezekiel warns that the watchman is the one responsible for the outcome.4
The Watchman’s Message
As exciting as the cheers of Moses are in Deuteronomy, my pulse races a little more when I walk through the words of Ezekiel chapter thirty-three and realize how God clearly wants His people to succeed. I see and hear the evidence of this in the blessing of “life” that is offered to those who love God and walk in obedience to Him. I also hear it in God’s declaration through Ezekiel to His rebellious people: “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but prefer that the wicked change his behavior and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil deeds! Why should you die, O house of Israel?”
10 “Son of man, give the people of Israel this message: You are saying, ‘Our sins are heavy upon us; we are wasting away! How can we survive?’ 11 As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?
Ezekiel 33:10-11
God is love, and His love is richly evident in the way He relentlessly pursues His people – particularly His rebellious people – to lead them out of hiding, to rescue them, and to offer them hope and a future with Him forever.
God pursued Adam and Eve after they sinned in the garden of Eden. (Genesis 3) God pursued Hagar when she ran away from her problems. (Genesis 16) God pursued Elijah when he ran from Ahab and Jezebel. (1 Kings 18-19) God pursued Paul on the road to Damascus. (Acts 9) And God pursues us.
Even when I was rebellious, even when sin was clearly my choice, even when I hid behind closed doors – God faithfully pursued me, pulled me out of more than one pit, drew me back to Him and changed me from the inside-out. 🦋
Prayer of Response to the Journey
Father, Thank You for pursuing me, for never letting me go, and for calling out to me and showing me the way. Thank You for hearing my prayer and not turning away from my voice. Thank You for teaching me Your way and changing me from the inside-out! I am forever and always gratefully Yours. Please, Lord, let me be a sanctuary, pure and holy, tried and true – alerting others to follow you. ~Amen
Reflection on the Journey
If others were to look at your life, would they say that you are following the world or Jesus? Why?
The More We Know
For more insight on today’s journey, read the LGG Blog
Do you know the God who pursues? If not, I invite you to read “Know These Truths” so that you might share in His amazing love and grace.
Today’s post is borrowed and shared from ourdailyverse.com/December 13, 2024
Today, let’s focus on our capacity to love and how it stems from God’s initial love for us. It’s like a small flame lit from an eternal fire. For the full devotional, click the button below.
I remember going to a conference where the speaker spoke on the love between God and His children being a reciprocal love. She used many examples, but the one that still sticks out in my mind was how she would pray or journal, naming all of the ways she had seen God show her his love – and she found herself responding at the end of the prayer – “I love You too.”
Friend, our relationship with God isn’t meant to be one-sided where He lavishes His love on us and we simply say thank you – His desire is for us to love Him in return. Today’s devotion is a beautiful illustration of what happens when we love God with all of our being. Click the devotional button for some wonderful encouragement =
Today, let’s pray for the courage to surrender like Jesus asks us in Mark 8:35. May we find peace and joy in letting go of our striving and embracing the abundant life He offers.
This is a beautiful encouragement from ourdailyverse.com that grabbed my attention and begged to be shared. – Enjoy
In our self-focused culture, the concept of losing one’s life may seem counterintuitive or even alarming. We’re conditioned to prioritize self-preservation, chasing after our own dreams and desires. But Jesus presents a radical paradigm shift, inviting us to a life of selfless surrender. -Click the devotional button to read the rest …
Originally posted by ourdailyverse.com / Feb 11, 2025
What a beautiful truth to know that we can rely on the love God has for us. It is a gift to know that the God who created us and adopted us as His own – is Himself – LOVE and has invited us to abide in Him … click the devotional button for encouragement and inspiration about the life-changing power of God’s love.
Me From the Inside Out 