THEME:
The book of Jonah offers a unique glimpse into the fragility of the human condition. When trouble strikes, I want you to be able to look to God and say, I trust you. Each of us faces forks in the road that demand a decision: Will you remain unshakable when fear meets faith?
KEY SCRIPTURE:
Jonah 1:1-3
Jonah was a historical figure, and his story is based on real events
Nineveh Photo
Matthew 12:39-41
But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
Jonah 1:1-3
Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil[a] has come up before me.” But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
When God calls you to obey, your first instinct may be to run in the opposite direction
You may try to run from God, but he will never stop pursuing you
Jonah 1:3
But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD.
Psalm 139:7-8
Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
Ezekiel 34:11
For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out.
Zephaniah 3:17
The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.
If you’re running, it’s time to stop the chase