1. The Run-Away Messenger.
It started like a regular day; he went about doing what he was to do for the day, until the message came. A message so subtle one would have asked how he had heard it. And then it came again. And this time it was more urgent. People, property and animals were going to be destroyed in a city that had 120,000 people in it!
One man had been given the message to tell them to change their ways, stop their evil and turn to God!
That man’s name was Jonah.
Jonah knew all about the people he was being sent to warn. They were fierce and cruel; they might kill him. Do you want to know what Jonah did? I bet you do. Jonah ran in the opposite direction. He fled from God thinking, God would send someone else.
Too bad for Jonah that God wanted him and only him for the job, because as he was asleep on a boat going to Tarshish, God made the sea to roar, tumble and rumble. The sailors on the boat were terrified. They prayed to their gods and pushed off some cargo to lighten the boat. That didn’t make the sea any happier. It just made the storm fiercer. With anger and shock, they went over to where Jonah slept and asked if he didn’t care that they were going to perish. They asked that he pray to his God. Jonah seeing the situation for what it was; Gods plan, told them how it was his entire fault for running away.
The sailors cast lots and oops Jonah had to be thrown overboard. That seemed to make the sea happy because at once it became calm. However, the sailors did apologize to God for throwing Jonah out of the boat. But I guess we all understand why they had to.
You might be wondering, what happened to Jonah after he was thrown out of the boat? God always makes provision for his children. He is a great planner, a master builder and the creator of all things. So, what did God do? He made a giant fish swallow Jonah for three days and three nights.
Wow! Isn’t that wonderful? The giant fish must have been happy being a submarine for three days. The fish spat him out at shore and Jonah, grateful to still be alive, went ahead to deliver the message to the people of Nineveh, as God told him to, again. A city so large it took three days to see it all.
A few people heard his message first and it went something like this, ‘forty days from now Nineveh would be destroyed.’ The people were terrified of this news and were remorseful. They went into burlap showing their sorrow.
Like all news, it finally got to the king. The king declared that everyone, including animals be in burlap and fast. God saw how sorry the people of Nineveh were and how they were ready to change their ways and forgave them.
If you truly come to the Father sorry for any wrong, He is faithful to forgive you, He loves you.
Prayer: Father, tonight I ask that You show me what You have made me for and help me to obey You completely.
Amen.
BIBLE PASSAGE: JONAH
2. A Tower So Tall
What makes humans different now? Don’t say race. Forget colour. Location? Or just dialects? Would you believe there was a time when every single person on the earth spoke the same language? Yeah! Really! They all did. I bet then no one would have had to feel different. And since there was no difference, you could say the people of that age were one; in mind, in reasoning and in resources.
They all agreed to build something mighty; something huge, tall and magnificent. All things have a purpose and this one did too. They wanted to be able to see God Himself. God allowed them for a while, but then noticed they were not about to stop any time soon on this project of theirs, so He did something.
