Jonah and the whale is one of the most recognized Old Testament stories in the Bible. It talks about a prophet who was sent on assignment to the people of Nineveh. But rather than stay on task, Jonah willfully disobeyed God and took a ship headed in the wrong direction to avoid his assignment in the corrupt city. Once on the ship, a storm arose because of his disobedience and the entire ship began to sink. Jonah single handedly jeopardized the lives of every person on the ship and he had to be thrown overboard as a safety precaution.
The text is important because it highlights that we can go through life and inadvertently pick up a hosts of Jonahs. Be clear, Jonah is not a person; Jonah is a problematic issue that is threatening your safe arrival to your destiny. Jonah is the "enemy-in-me." For some, it is trust issues or it could be a lack of careful consideration for others, yet others are harboring fear, doubt, hate, unforgiveness, and bitterness. Whatever your Jonah is, you have carried "him" too long; today is the day to let it go.
Let it go, completely. No...see that string? You are still holding on to it. Releasing it is difficult because in order to do so, you've got to dissect yourself. I'm going to be honest, this is going to hurt and it's going to take you to the place where you felt the need to pick up Jonah in the first place. We call this place the heart of the matter. Maybe it was rejection or an unfaithful partner, maybe it was the instructor that called you stupid, or it could have been the abortion. Wherever it was, it's time to go back and heal the right way. Heal now or risk losing the entire ship.
Have a focused mediation today (it's more than reading, it's inserting yourself in the living text).
Psalm 51:10-12 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
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