When God Speaks

The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “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 1:1-3

When God spoke to Jonah, it was understood.

Often men long to hear from God. They want to know exactly what He wants for them to do and the direction He wants for them to go in. Explicit instruction, meaning, and purpose are all sweet music to the ears. Wouldn’t it be nice to wake up each day and have God tell you exactly what the day holds and your particular role in it? It would be comforting to know what the Creator thinks. Unless of course, you don’t like what it is He is saying.

Jonah illustrates an important truth that strikes right to the heart. God does speak. Don’t get hung up on how God communicates, because this does vary. The point is that He is calling out to us and that He means to involve us in His mission. God is always at work. Throughout history, there are plenty of examples of how God includes men in His work. And this is most important to note: we sometimes don’t like what God is calling us to do. We run, we tune God out, and we fill our schedule up so that we have no room for God. Don’t be a Jonah. Listen to God and be willing to answer the call, even if it is uncomfortable. When you see things the way God sees them, you’ll do things the way He does them.

DO THIS TODAY: Identify one thing God is calling you to do and act on that.