Matthew; June 28, 2023

Posted on June 29, 2023 by jgarrott

Matthew 9:9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

Just as with Luke’s change of pronouns in Acts 16:10, we know that it is from this point that the narrator is speaking from personal experience, rather than research. That’s not to say that the sections that were researched rather than experienced are inaccurate, but it does give a slightly different flavor to the narrative. It is also worth noting that modern linguistic analysis indicates that the Gospel of Matthew was originally written in Aramaic, rather than Greek. Aramaic was the daily language of the people of Judea, whereas Greek was what they used for commerce and to talk to the Roman occupiers and other foreigners. Hebrew, on the other hand, was reserved for reading Scripture and the like. That degree of polyglot culture is hard for Americans and Japanese to grasp, but it’s quite common in Europe, with so many languages in close proximity. All of that said, Aramaic was probably Matthew’s “heart language,” the one in which he could express himself most freely. Like the other Gospel writers, Matthew doesn’t put himself forward; it’s all about Jesus. Here, he simply states that from that point he followed Jesus. That actually was an earth-shaking, life-changing move for him, requiring him to resign his commission as an agent of the Roman government and probably changing every detail of his day-to-day life. It is worth noting that he accepts his position as one of the “sinners” at the dinner in his house. Probably the only people who would associate with him were the women he paid to do so and the men who were in similarly despised occupations as he was. The fact that Jesus would choose him as a follower, and indeed, later designate him as an apostle, was a miracle Matthew never got over. Thinking about it, Jesus was the ultimate expert at “diversity and inclusion,” calling people from across the social spectrum and treating them equally. I doubt that Matthew ever complained about Peter, James, and John being the “inner circle” of the disciples. He was too blown out of the water that he was included at all! We have much to learn from Matthew about understanding that Jesus accepts us where we are and as we are, but He doesn’t leave us there. It was the Pharisees, who thought they were “worthy” to be close to God, who had the most conflict with Jesus.

I think it’s fitting that in the Visual Bible presentation of Matthew, the key descriptive word would probably be Joy. I think Matthew had very little real joy before meeting Jesus, only occasional pleasure, and the joy of being accepted, by Jesus and His other disciples, never left him. I have been described as a joyful person, as someone who enjoys life, and I don’t think that’s wrong. I’ve certainly had my times of “not joy,” but the Lord has always carried me through them. I’ve never been in exactly Matthew’s position, but I have certainly experienced exclusion and rejection in various ways. My joy has to come from the knowledge that Jesus loves me so much that He died for me and He wants me to live as His representative. So long as I keep that in focus, I will walk in the joy that Matthew did.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the carpentry I’ve been doing since yesterday. At my age I’d frankly rather be doing other things, but it is satisfying to see physical progress. Help me walk in Your joy in the work to be done today, so that the results may bless everyone involved and give You glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Trusting the Creator; June 27, 2023

Posted on June 28, 2023 by jgarrott

Matthew 8:27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

I referenced this incident yesterday in contrast to the faith of the Roman centurion, but it’s certainly worth considering on its own. The point is, even Jesus’ disciples didn’t realize fully just Whom they were following. The Jews had a long history of prophets and teachers, and they were sure they had found a good one, but even those who thought He was the Messiah didn’t realize the Messiah was part of the Trinity, the Godhead, who thus wielded all authority in the universe. We tend to rank things in order of difficulty, but for the Creator it’s essentially all the same, whether it’s healing a cold or creating a galaxy. We really can’t wrap our minds around that. They had seen Jesus heal many diseases, probably ranging from the inconvenient to the debilitating to the potentially fatal, and all of them had yielded to Him. That was certainly impressive, but from the human perspective, the ability to command “the forces of nature” was in a different category. From God’s perspective, it was all tweaking His creation. The thing is, we don’t have God’s perspective on things, so we don’t know why He allows some things and not others. However, we shouldn’t let that interfere with our faith that He can change anything at all. Storms, earthquakes, and tsunami are part of the natural order, but our prayers can impact even those at times. I’ve personally known of multiple times when the course of a major storm was diverted in response to prayer, and we of course have no way of knowing when an earthquake or tsunami did not happen because of prayer. We aren’t to think that such things are at our beck and call, but we do need to remember that the Creator is Lord over His creation.

I well remember loving typhoons as a child, and still don’t mind them. I’ve been through a few minor earthquakes, and even been on the edge of a major one, but I’ve never experienced a tsunami personally. From the human perspective those are all destructive, but I have seen again and again God bring incredible blessing out of tragedy. Just yesterday I saw a brief video of a “TV physicist” explaining why he couldn’t believe in a loving, omnipotent God, but my response was that he was cutting himself off by demanding to understand God before he’d believe in Him. I must not make that mistake! By definition I don’t know everything that is going on, much less how it all fits together. Even supercomputers can’t calculate the sheer number of variables involved, because that number is literally infinite. I am to rest in the assurance that, as the chorus goes, “God’s got it all in control,” and the final outcome will be glorious, whatever happens along the way. His instructions to me to “rest, relax, rejoice,” are simple, but at times very difficult! I’ve got to keep growing in my own faith, trust, and obedience.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all the little lessons You teach me day by day. May I continue to grow as You desire and intend, becoming the useful servant and loving child that You desire, for the blessing of those around me and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Authority; June 26, 2023

Posted on June 27, 2023 by jgarrott

Matthew 8:8-9 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

This is a statement of extreme importance, because it blew Jesus’ mind, and that was hardly an easy thing to do to the Son of God! He said it was because of the centurion’s faith, but we need to consider how that faith was expressed. Even Jesus’ apostles were shocked when He exercised authority over natural forces, (Mark 4:35-41) but this Roman understood and believed that Jesus could command disease as easily as he himself could tell a servant to do something. We need such faith! The centurion understood that Jesus was under the authority of the Creator of the universe, and as such, that authority flowed through Him toward everything in creation. That situation hasn’t changed! In fact, just before rising to heaven after His resurrection, Jesus stated clearly, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18) We quote that verse as part of the Great Commission, but I don’t think we really meditate on all its implications. All means all, with no exceptions. The devil tries to tell us that this, that, or the other problem is too big for even God to handle, so there’s no use praying about it. He’s a liar, as always. If we understand the authority of God, then we will be absolutely bold in our prayers. That’s not the same as presumption; we can’t dictate to God, nor should we try. However, to the degree that we are submitted to His authority, that authority will flow through us to accomplish His will, not what our flesh desires. Jesus’ submission to the Father is demonstrated in His crucifixion, from Gethsemane onward. We too need to pray, “Not my will, but Yours be done.” (Luke 22:42) There is more power in such prayer than we have imagined.

I have always had an ambivalent attitude toward authority. As any young person does, I had my period of questioning my parents’ authority, but I think I learned earlier than many that they generally knew what they were talking about. External authority was a different matter, however, and I still tend to be skeptical of “experts.” That attitude has certainly been validated by the pandemic and other recent events! However, I must not let that push me toward rebellion against God’s authority. That is in another class, another dimension. I spoke yesterday on hearing God. He does indeed speak to us, and my attitude needs to be instant obedience. I’ve got room to grow. I wish that “stubborn” weren’t such an appropriate adjective for me! I tend to be hesitant to exercise authority, which isn’t always good. Church discipline is of great importance, and I must not let it slide. As Paul said, such authority is given me to build people up, not tear them down. (2 Corinthians 10:8) I am to exercise it in full submission to Holy Spirit so that the result will be God’s will being done, and not just what is convenient for me. I am to proclaim and exercise the Lordship of Jesus Christ in this church, this city, and this nation, not insisting on my time frame but knowing with full assurance that it will be done, for the glory of God.

Father, thank You for this powerful reminder. Help me not just say, that’s nice, and then go on as usual. Help me be the agent of Your authority that You have created me to be, for the salvation of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Worry; June 25, 2023

Posted on June 26, 2023 by jgarrott

Matthew 6:27 “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ?”

Worry is poisonous. It multiplies the damage negative events have on us. Jesus told us very clearly that in this world we will have trouble, (John 16:33) but worrying about it ahead of time makes us suffer through it again and again. Often, the particular thing we’re worried about never happens at all! I’m reminded of the recent submarine disaster in the Atlantic. As Bill Whittle has pointed out, those five people died essentially instantaneously, doing something they enjoyed and were excited about. Their eternal destiny (which he didn’t touch on) was decided some time before they ever got into that vessel, and that’s what really matters. If we have a right relationship with our Creator on the basis of His Son Jesus Christ, we have literally nothing to worry about. As Jesus talks about after this verse, we do all have various needs while we are on this earth. We aren’t to be cavalier about them, taking things for granted, but the path of happiness and joy is to trust God with them. As Jesus famously says in verse 33, our focus is to be on God’s kingdom and His righteousness. If we don’t have such a focus, worry can easily steal our peace and joy and literally shorten our life. That’s a perfect example of unintended consequences. We are to be good stewards of what we have been given, and that includes our bodies and our health. However, obsessing over it all is counterproductive. We are to maintain our weight and our activity levels, but not just to make us feel good or live a long time. Rather, we are to be focused on doing the things that God has prepared for us to do, (Ephesians 2:10) resting, relaxing, and rejoicing in Him.

I am aware that some people seem to have anxious personalities, but I believe that can be healed. I’m grateful that I don’t seem to be one of those people. I would describe myself as fundamentally optimistic, but it’s been a long road getting here. John 16:33 has been something of a mantra for me for a long time. I am horrified and disgusted at many of the things I see in the world around me, and I know those things could come upon me, too, but experience has taught me that God is more than able to bring me through anything at all. Physical injury and disease aren’t fun, certainly, but they are temporary. If my focus is on God and my eternity with Him, then all these things are no more than hiccups along the way. There are indeed things that I would very much like to see happen. I am to work toward those goals, but being anxious about them won’t make them come about any faster! It’s been quite a few years now since the Lord told me to rest, relax, and rejoice. I don’t get any hint of worry in that!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for Your grace toward me on so many levels. May I be an available, effective channel of that grace to others, drawing them also into the trusting relationship with You that they need and You desire, for their glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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The Priesthood of the Believer; June 24, 2023

Posted on June 25, 2023 by jgarrott

Malachi 2:7 “”For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, and from his mouth men should seek instruction–because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty.”

This is a very sobering verse to anyone in pastoral ministry, but under the New Covenant it actually applies to every believer. As Peter famously wrote, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9) John reiterated that in the introduction to his record of what God showed him about End Times: “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father–to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.” (Revelation 1:5-6) This is the foundation of that famous doctrine of the Protestant Reformation, the Priesthood of the Believer. Most Protestant churches, even, only give that lip service, but the Biblical foundation is secure. There are indeed different gifts, different offices in the Church, but in the place where Paul famously lays out the “5-fold Ministry,” he makes it clear that those designated individuals are to enable the believers to do the “work of ministry.” “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:11-13) So, all of that means that our starting verse applies to everyone who is in Christ Jesus. A lot of people run from that! We have a lot of trouble seeing ourselves as a “messenger of the Lord Almighty!” The flip side of that is those who do see themselves as that and get all puffed up, and that can be tragic.

Of course this applies to me any way you cut it, because I have been in pastoral ministry since 1978. It is particularly applicable since I have a gift for words, as has been noted from my youth, and it can be hard to get me to shut up! Part of that is my Teacher gifting. As Don and Katie Fortune noted, someone with that gifting tends to be like a walking encyclopedia; ask a question and you get more than you really wanted to know. I am very grateful that, given that gifting, I was raised by a man who held Absolute Honesty as one of his guiding principles. Otherwise, there’s no telling what I might be spouting off! With all of my words, spoken or written, I need to be very aware that I am indeed a messenger of the Lord Almighty, not because I am special but because He is. I am to speak only what He says, expressing His truth in His love, and never think that my personal opinion or desire takes precedence over His. If I will do that, then His Word will indeed pour through me to accomplish that for which He sends it. (Isaiah 55:10-11)

Father, thank You for Your incredible grace toward me. Help me encourage others to believe that same grace is available to them, whatever form it might take. I pray that every believer in this church would indeed realize that they are Your messenger to the people around them, not because they are special but because the people around them need to hear from You, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Pride and Humility; June 23, 2023

Posted on June 24, 2023 by jgarrott

Zephaniah 3:2 She obeys no one,
she accepts no correction.
She does not trust in the Lord,
she does not draw near to her God.

This chapter is most familiar to me from the fact that verse 17 has been set to music, but before we get to the good news we need to consider the factors that resulted in Jerusalem’s destruction. This verse could be summarized as, ignoring God. That is certainly the path the US has been running on for the past several decades. The overt push started with forbidding prayer in public schools, and it has progressed from there. The corruption started in institutions of “higher” learning, as communists from Europe, escaping WWII, came to America and were accepted into her universities as honored faculty, and it has spread from there. Elitism is one of the most obvious characteristics, which matches this verse perfectly. “Intelligencia” were taught that they were far superior to the “unwashed masses,” so naturally they would accept no correction. Those blinded by this movement forgot, and continue to forget, that pride was the root sin of Lucifer. Even the ancient Greeks recognized the grave danger of hubris, but those who have it are blind to it. The Bible is clear throughout that humility is essential, yet we are so prone to reject it. America has even labeled the open celebration of perversion as “Pride Month!” Again, this verse is perfectly descriptive. Thankfully the number of those waking up to this nonsense is increasing. Just yesterday I was reading an article about the bitter fruit of the “sexual revolution.” Those who have their eyes open need to be active in prayer that more and more people would wake up and reverse the things mentioned in this verse, in genuine repentance before a loving, gracious, and holy God.

As I have written many times, I have certainly struggled with pride. I was given many advantages in life, from a high IQ to a stable home and on and on, but I wound up thinking I somehow deserved it all, that I had somehow earned it, when in fact it was just dumped in my lap. Since my father was a “big cheese,” I got away with more than I should have simply by being his son. A different example of that is in the news a lot these days! I indeed thought that I was elite, that I was “better,” and it nearly ruined me. I had to learn obedience, to accept correction, to trust God and draw near to Him. I’m not there totally yet, but I am far closer than I once was. I have the comfort of knowing that Paul was in the same boat. (Philippians 3:12-14) I’ve got to remember to trust in the Lord and draw near to Him, in total gratitude that He would so love such a flawed child as I am.

Father, thank You for Your incredible, overwhelming love and grace. May I be ever more effective in communicating that love and grace to others, so that they too may repent and believe for their salvation, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Listening to God; June 22, 2023

Posted on June 23, 2023 by jgarrott

Habakkuk 2:1 I will stand at my watch
and station myself on the ramparts;
I will look to see what he will say to me,
and what answer I am to give to this complaint.

Verses two and three of this chapter have been given to my wife and me as from the Lord several times over the years and so are very dear to us, and the last line of verse four was one of the triggers for the Protestant Reformation, but this verse also speaks to me very strong­ly. Habakkuk was not alone in this, but one of his best character traits was that he expected the Lord to speak to him. Far too few people are that way today. In fact, not long ago when a Christian political candidate made reference to having heard something from the Lord, they were openly ridiculed by a TV commentator. The devil doesn’t want us to recognize that God is speaking to us; he wants us to focus entirely on the physical world. However, the physical world will pass, so the obvious course of wisdom is to be aware of the spiritual world and walk in submission to our eternal Creator and Savior. Some people are blessed with open conversations with God, but in my observation that is relatively rare. There is often a delay between what we say to God and our perceiving His response, and that is what Habakkuk is talking about here. However, like Habakkuk we need to have the conviction that He will respond, that we are not just praying into the wind. That involves first of all believing that He is real, and second, that He cares about us individually. As it says in Hebrews, “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) I think most people have an innate awareness that there is something bigger and greater than they are, but for too many, even those who have gone through the motions of becoming a Christian, the idea that He rewards us individually, that He actually answers us, is beyond their grasp. The only one who rejoices at that is the devil.

I have no idea how old I was when I was first aware that the Lord had said something to me, but it must have been pretty young. I had the huge advantage of growing up in a home where God was as real and as present as anyone we could see physically. I knew my parents each spent time with Him individually every morning, but I wasn’t actually guided into such a practice myself. In college I thought, “I need to have regular morning devotions,” but that lasted exactly three days, if I recall correctly. (The Japanese actually have a proverb about resolutions failing after three days.) It wasn’t until after I was a married father, fresh out of the Army, that the Lord confronted me with my pride, no words needed, and I repented in tears, and from that point on I sought Him every morning. I could hardly be more grateful for His grace and mercy! I couldn’t begin to count all the ways He has spoken to me, sometimes even through my own mouth. He is amazing! As a pastor, it is my earnest desire that each of the believers realize that He is speaking to them, as well. They are used to the idea that “the holy man hears from God,” but they don’t consider themselves holy and so don’t bother to listen. They don’t know how unholy I can be at times! I need to communicate God’s grace and mercy to them in such a way that they will be hungry to hear from Him, and rejoice to be obedient to what He says.

Father, thank You for this reminder. You’ve had me speak on this topic several times. I ask for Your words to express it this time so that it will penetrate and stick, working Your will in each heart and life, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Responding to Injustice; June 21, 2023

Posted on June 22, 2023 by jgarrott

Habakkuk 1:3-4 Why do you make me look at injustice?
Why do you tolerate wrong?
Destruction and violence are before me;
there is strife, and conflict abounds.
Therefore the law is paralyzed,
and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
so that justice is perverted.

It sounds to me like Habakkuk could have been living in 21st Century America! The current corruption of the American “justice system” is disturbing and disgusting to say the least. God’s answer for Judah at the point this was written was for it to be conquered by the Babylonians. We can only hope and pray that isn’t the sort of answer He has for America! The point, however, is that He does have an answer. As came out in yesterday’s reading, He does not leave the guilty unpunished. (Nahum 1:3) Habakkuk doesn’t indicate that he personally was the victim of the injustice he was seeing, but anyone with a tender heart would respond much as he did. With the Internet, we are far more aware of the injustice and other tragedies that are occurring around the world, so depression is practically the order of the day. This certainly calls for faith! We are not to ignore all the junk going on around us, but we are to trust that God is still God, and that He does have an answer even if we can’t see it.

Over 25 years ago I was lying in bed, not intentionally praying but simply mulling things over and thinking, “There are so many things I wish were different.” At that point the Lord spoke to me, totally unexpectedly and absolutely clearly: “How do you think I feel?” That gave me an instant awareness – the Buddhists would call it satori – that my problem was simply perspective. I was looking at things from “ground level,” on a moment-by-moment basis, while God sees everything, not just in geographic terms but also in time, from creation to the end of the universe. I will not gain God’s perspective while I am limited by this body, but I can choose to trust the One who does have that perspective, and is working in and through all the mess to draw people into a right relationship with Himself. I have found that daily living is daily trusting God, with myself and with all the circumstances I find myself in. Sometimes He chooses to use me as an extension of His rule and reign, just as Jesus taught us to pray. (Matthew 6:10) I am to rejoice when that happens, but never think that it is because of my own strength or wisdom. I am to keep myself available to Him in humble anticipation, trusting that His plans are indeed good (Jeremiah 29:11) and resting, relaxing, and rejoicing in Him, just as He has told me to do.

Father, thank You for this reminder. It’s a small thing, but thank You for the rain that will keep me from walking this morning as I had planned. Help me always hold my plans loosely, allowing You to do in and through me what You know is best, whatever it might look like to me in the moment. Thank You. Praise God!

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The Fear of the Lord; June 20, 2023

Posted on June 21, 2023 by jgarrott

Nahum 1:3, 7 The Lord is slow to anger and great in power;
the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.  
The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for those who trust in him,

Contemporary Christianity places so much emphasis on the truth of verse seven that they tend to overlook the truth of verse three. We have forgotten what it is to fear the Lord. That has been partially the result of a deliberate, concerted effort by the devil to make us do that, but the responsibility still lies with us. The attack on the whole concept of fatherhood and parental discipline is very much part of that. Even the Japanese once had a proverb that said, “The three things to fear are typhoons, tigers, and your dad.” Not long ago I was listening to a roundtable discussion in which it was asked, “For those who never did drugs, why not?” The most common answer was, “Because my mom would kill me.” Proverbs is very clear on the matter: “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.” (Proverbs 13:24) We have turned that on its head to say that any form of physical punishment is child abuse, and see where it’s gotten us. God is the perfect father, and as verse three says, He “will not leave the guilty unpunished.” If parents fail to apply appropriate discipline to their children, those children will probably not have the lifesaving fear of the Lord. The thing is, logic does not operate in a child’s mind, and the older they get, the more skilled they are in self-justification. That’s why a police presence is necessary for a civil society. That’s a far cry from a “police state,” where everything is dictated, but the current state of the US, after the “defund the police” movement of just a couple of years ago, along with the current spate of non-prosecuting public prosecutors, makes it very clear that the fear of punishment for wrongdoing is essential. God is indeed good, kind, merciful, and loving, but He also knows best how to “whup ass,” as the saying goes. We should be grateful, and rejoice to be able to submit to His kind and gracious rules that are for our benefit.

I will never forget one situation I was close to. A friend of ours was a Christian, but she had had a daughter out of wedlock. That daughter in turn likewise had a son without getting married, and no one in the family had much concept of appropriate discipline. Our friend and her daughter were both working, so our friend’s parents took care of their great-grandson through the day. The little boy loved Thomas the Tank Engine, and his great-grandparents’ house wasn’t far from an active railroad track. One day when he was about three, I think, he got out of the house and went down to the tracks. Someone spotted him and called the closest train station, and the trains were stopped until he could be corralled. My understanding is that he was disciplined, but obviously not enough. A few weeks later he got out again, and this time no one spotted him. He wasn’t actually on the tracks, but he was close enough that a train hit his head, and after a week in a coma, he died. When logic doesn’t get through, pain can sometimes do the job. That’s what that verse in Proverbs is all about. God’s justice is so absolute that the only way we can avoid the punishment due our sins is by faith in the Son of God, who took our punishment on Himself so that we could live. I didn’t do a perfect job of disciplining my children, as my parents didn’t with me, but the principle was there, and operative. I am very aware that I am totally dependent on the grace of God, and I desire to bring that awareness to as many people as possible.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me live by this truth, rejoicing both in Your mercy and Your justice, so that I may be an example to others of an appropriate fear of the Lord, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Faith; June 19, 2023

Posted on June 20, 2023 by jgarrott

Jonah 3:10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.

This story is remarkable in a number of ways. In the first place, it is certainly notable that Jonah’s message was received as it was. It seems almost illogical that so much credence would be given to a solitary foreigner walking into the city. However, nothing is impossible for God, and He used this both to have mercy on the Assyrians and to teach Jonah another major lesson, after the one of his being swallowed by a “great fish.” (Jonah 1:17) The second thing that strikes me is that God accepts and honors repentance. The Assyrians were notorious for their ferocity, which is why Jonah didn’t want to go minister to them in the first place. However, the king’s decree (verses 7-9) indicates that their consciences weren’t totally defiled, and God had obviously prepared them to hear and receive Jonah’s call to repentance. The third thing that strikes me is how impossible it is to prove a negative. When disaster didn’t fall, I’m sure there were plenty of people who didn’t believe their actions had anything to do with things essentially continuing as usual. Cause and effect can seem tenuous at best. I’m reminded of the story of a man who was continually jabbing a pointed stick into the ground. When asked why he was doing it, he said, “It’s to keep the elephants away.” “There are no elephants within a hundred miles of here!” “See, it works.” That is a joke, but the same line of thinking could have been applied in Nineveh. It all calls for faith, because there are many, many limits to what we can see and know with our physical senses.

I have been somewhat ridiculed for my faith at times, most recently in a comment on my blog (which I chose not to “approve”). However, I can say with assurance that I have had moments of being far more sure that God was real than that I was real. The intensity isn’t constant, but the assurance has only grown over the years, and I am deeply grateful. Faith is a gift, (Ephesians 2:8-9) and I must not take it lightly. When God tells me something I am to pay attention and be obedient, however He chooses to speak to me. I’m not sure how I’d respond if a prophet wandered in the way Jonah did, but I would certainly submit his message to the Lord and ask for confirmation! We had a bit of a wakeup call yesterday when our Internet shut down, which also took out our “landline” telephone, since it’s an IP phone. Using my cell phone I eventually got through to submitting a complaint form to our provider, and the connection was back on before we went to bed. However, the experience showed me in stark terms how Internet addicted I am. My repentance needs to be real, that is, expressed in concrete activity. My focus needs to be on my Lord, before and above everything else. I’ve known that in my head for decades, but my flesh sometimes forgets. I’m to use the tools God provides, but only in full submission to Him.

Father, thank You for the story of Jonah. I’ve used him as an illustration of someone who was extremely hard-headed, but I could give him a run for his money! Help me receive Your lessons and act on them, to be the servant You desire, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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