Go where God sends us

I doubt I'm much different than most.

I had another of those moments yesterday. I looked at our house, which is mostly empty now or at least much more than it was, and I had a moment. You know those moments? The moments where you just stop and wonder, am I doing the right thing? Those moments often come way, way too late to do anything about them, but they come.

Jonah had one of those moments, and this is what he did:

1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me."
3 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.


Do you get that? God told Jonah to go to Ninevah and Jonah split for ...Tarshish. The other way. He ran from God. He looked at his house and said to himself, "I'd rather live here Lord."

I know the feeling. I know rationally that it's only been four years, almost to the month, but sooner or later I want to feel like I'm home. I've had no home it seems since we left the West Bank where I thought I would die. I said to God, "use me," and the next think I know, he did.

Jonah's problem from the beginning was he didn't mind being used, he simply wanted it to be in the manner he deemed it best. In other words, he didn't want to preach to those Ninevites because they weren't worthy of grace. I thought God could use my writing. Surely that was what he wanted. Surely that would be my windfall, my way, my path. Surely I was wrong.

When one says to God, "Use me," one turns over the keys to life. One must go where God says go, stay where God says stay, do what God says do. He decides which gifts and services would be best in what situation. I have learned I never know what's next.

I just pack and go.

Jonah has the audacity to have this argument with God himself. Permit me a bit of your time:

1 But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. 2 He prayed to the LORD, "O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live."
4 But the LORD replied, "Have you any right to be angry?"

5 Jonah went out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the LORD God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine. 7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah's head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, "It would be better for me to die than to live."

9 But God said to Jonah, "Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?"
"I do," he said. "I am angry enough to die."

10 But the LORD said, "You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?"


See, it's important you see this (if there are readers this day). God picks and chooses to place you where he wants you. If you've dug you a space and decided this is it, then what leeway does God have?

This is so important. I know churches that exist because people have always gone there through generations. They never give themselves the opportunity for God to use them because they've set up rules for which He must operate.

I know this: I'll miss this house. I'll miss the yard Frankie loves do much before he died (my dog). I'll miss the time we spent outside with the grandkids. I'll miss the time upstairs on my computer. I'll miss and miss and miss...

but the greater opporunity for God is always around the next bend because that's where he's sending us. I must understand that. God is concerned about even the Ninevites. So should I be.