Escaping the Wilderness of Rebellion
“The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time. ...” Jonah 3:1a (NRSV)
Before Jonah found himself in the belly of a fish, he was living in a wilderness of rebellion. He willfully chose to rebel against God’s purpose in his life and tried to run away. Like Jonah, you may have discovered you can run but you can’t hide. God knows right where you are, and He loves you despite your rebellion. We hide because we don’t want to face God or submit to His will. Sometimes we hide, like Adam and Eve, because we feel ashamed. But God offers His grace to begin again! He is the God of second chances! Thank God! We all need second chances! Whoever gets it right the first time! The Bible says we’ve all sinned and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) The word for sin is an archery term and it simply means missing the mark. In other words, God has a Divine purpose for our lives to reveal His glory in us but sin causes us to miss the target. Through Christ, we have a second chance! God loves to give second chances. If you’ve ever failed and felt disqualified, God may be speaking to you today. Like Jonah, the word of the Lord is coming to you a second time. You don’t have to remain in the wilderness of rebellion. God is not finished with you! The Bible says that “God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” Philippians 1:6 (NLT) Let Him do it. Jonah did. The bible says after the Lord spoke to him a second time that “This time Jonah obeyed. …” (Jonah 3:3)
No doubt. Disobedience to his first call from God resulted in a storm at sea, being thrown overboard by the crew and swallowed by a big fish. His disposition was so sour even the fish threw him up! Disobedience always has consequences. It can land us in the wilderness of rebellion, but God never designed those consequences to crush us but to correct us and get us back on track so that we may experience His glory in our lives and accomplish His purpose!
When Jonah was in the belly of that fish, the Bible says, “He prayed!” There’s no record in the Bible that he prayed when he was on the run from God. Sometimes when we rebel and try to run from God, we end up running right into Him! His prayer was one of crisis! Surprised to find himself alive in the fish’s belly, he cried out, "In trouble, deep trouble, I prayed to GOD. He answered me. From the belly of the grave I cried, 'Help!' You heard my cry. You threw me into ocean's depths, into a watery grave, With ocean waves, ocean breakers crashing over me. I said, 'I've been thrown away, thrown out, out of your sight. I'll never again lay eyes on your Holy Temple.' … When my life was slipping away, I remembered GOD, And my prayer got through to You, made it all the way to Your Holy Temple.” Jonah 2:2-4; 7 (MSG)
Are you in the wilderness of rebellion because of willful disobedience? You may be as convinced as Jonah that God is through with you, thrown you away! NEVER! If you’re not dead, God ain’t done! Even from the wilderness of rebellion, you can cry out to God. He still hears crisis prayers! Remember God. Remember His love. Remember His call and return to Him. The moment Jonah did that, God responded. “Then GOD spoke to the fish, and it vomited up Jonah on the seashore.” Jonah 2:10 (MSG) He escaped the wilderness of rebellion when he obeyed the word of the Lord.
Here’s the best part of the story! Jonah’s obedience led to the salvation of an entire city of over 120,000 people who once lived in spiritual darkness! Think of it! Imagine what God may want to accomplish through you! Listen for His voice. None of us are ever qualified for His service. He doesn’t call the qualified! He qualifies the called by His grace! Do what Jonah did when he heard the word of the Lord a second time – “Get up and go!” Jonah 3:2a (NLT)