Do you struggle with faith when God presents a choice to obey or to continue things your way? Christians often do. Fear overwhelms us, and we come up with alternative plans. From personal experience, I know avoidance only prolongs the choice. Like once crunchy cereal to be eaten right away, your avoidance looks like soggy cereal in warm milk. Did your mother still make you eat it? Mine did.

Jonah is one most of us relate to, but not one to follow. I read an article that described Jonah’s actions as, “The prophet, a man of God, rebels against and can’t stand his own God.”* Can’t stand is not an admirable attitude toward our Lord. To think that we act the same way reveals our view of God. Let’s see if we can learn from Jonah.

I’m not sure what Jonah was doing before the word of the LORD came to him in the first verse of the Bible book. All I know is Jonah’s response was a quick run-for-the-border. He fled as quickly as He could. In verse 3, “from the LORD’s presence” is used twice! But just like Nineveh’s evil had come up before the LORD, Jonah’s flight was before the LORD too, every step seen as he zoomed away from the LORD’s presence.

Years ago, Wayne Watson wrote and sang a song with a line that said, “I’d rather walk in the dark with Jesus than walk in the light on my own.” Jonah did not have that heart posture.

I am not going to go through the story of Jonah now, but by verse 5, even on the ship Jonah acquired, he chose to go to the lowest part of it. He went as low as his capability would allow him, as far from the LORD as he could be!

Waiting for him, sooner than later, were the endless depths of the sea. But for now, his tapped-out adrenaline from his fight or flight moment left him longing for sleep. Perhaps his escape from the LORD had worked, and he’d rest now.

As we know, the LORD saw him, and the LORD had not changed His plan, and soon Jonah and the dark depths below would meet.

Of course, there is a cost to obedience and I think that is where most Christians falter. But there are no consequences. The Lord is looking for the willing. When your plans lead to chaos or sheer boredom, the times when obedience seemed challenging will haunt you. Is that how you want to go through your life? Yes, Jesus promises in John 10:9-10 an abundant life, but the abundance is Him, not in anything you can contrive and scheme or rationalize.

If you’re interested in how to avoid a long and miserable Jonah journey, I recommend staying willing before the Lord.

”The Lord is constantly watching everyone, and He gives strength to those who faithfully obey him.”
‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭16‬:‭9‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Solutions to avoid Jonah’s journey:

• Pray for a desire to obey the Lord. Desire is from the heart and is not an emotion.
• Pray He will remove fear so that obedience doesn’t seem so difficult.
• Trust in God’s love for you.
• Trust His plan.

By its very nature, obedience requires a response. We should teach every Christian we have around us that the answer is yes. The God of all Comfort knows what’s coming and that even if your life changes, He will not. You always have the Lord. He is not going to leave you. He will even help you to turn to Him frequently. He knows you will need Him, and His heart is drawn to your uncertainty.

Sometimes, you don’t know all of His goodness and faithfulness until you obey. You have to get on the other side of the obedience to experience it. That is one of the most excellent results of obedience.

Remember, your obedience is not about you, at least not in the sense of helping you achieve all your goals or become the best version of yourself. Obedience will bring about transformation that makes you look a little more like the Son, and it will have benefits you didn’t know anything about. But ultimately, your obedience is part of the bigger picture and valuable for building God’s Kingdom and shining His glory on the earth.

For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:13

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7

Obedience requires a choice. What is the Spirit of God pressing in on you to do? How will you respond? Will it be Flight or Free?

John 8:36-So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

I Peter 2:16- Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.

©Valerie Rumfelt

*The Bible Project – Jonah

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