Running Away from God's Will

You've heard of Jonah, right?  The guy with the Bible's most recognizable pout.  Who can forget the scene?

God:     Jonah..."Go to the great city of Nineveh..."  It's really wicked in there and I want you to go                   preach to them!

Jonah (looking all around him as if the command had been given to someone else):  ...er... (run away as fast as he can! not even one recorded word said in reply...)

Next scene:

Jonah:  one ticket to the farthest place from Nineveh, please!

Next scene:

Big storm!  Jonah hiding (sleeping, actually) below deck.

Captain of the Ship:   What the...what? How can you be asleep?  WE. ARE. GOING. TO. DIE in this storm.  DO SOMETHING!!!

Jonah:  UGH!!!! Just throw me into the sea.

Next scene:

Big Fish

Yes, we're all very familiar with this story.  This morning, however, I have been thinking about it as an illustration of how we, upon occasions, may be running away from God's will by being busy doing what we believe to be God's will...but it's not...

Wait...what?

I know, right?  No...I don't really know.  I'm just truly going out on a limb here.  But bear with me for a minute and I might be able to figure out how to say what I think I need to say.

I believe, the main purpose of all of the enemy's schemes, lies, deceptions, manipulations, button pushing is to keep us away from God:  our source of all power, health, strength, peace, rest, joy, etc.  Sometimes, the tactics that he uses are absolutely maleficent.  Like, for instance, I believe the devil uses what we think is God's work to actually keep us away from God.  You know what I mean?

What is more powerful in our fight against evil:  the intentional, one-on-one, quiet, intimate, purposeful, war-room-style praying moments we spend with Our Lord or the busy-work we do in the mission field (whatever this may be:  church pantry, leading youth group/Bible study, mission trips abroad or next door, school, office, classroom, etc.) fill-in-the-blank-ministry, volunteering in any capacity type of work?  If we think about it deeply and dare to answer honestly, the down-on-one's-knees, listening to the still small voice, cultivating of our personal relationship with Christ in prayer, thanksgiving and petition is our secret and most effective weapon against the forces of darkness that attack the spiritual realm of our souls.

The devil does anything he can to prevent moments like those.  Even if he has to twist good, godly work to accomplish it.

If the work we are doing for the Kingdom is keeping us away from sitting by the feet of Jesus...we're acting just like Jonah.  We are, perhaps unintentionally, running away from what God most desires from us:  worship!

Fellowship and followship is what Jesus wants from us!

And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 

Matthew 4: 19 (King James)

Notice, the following comes first...then the doing.  Like two famous sisters also remind us:

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10: 38-42

The way I see it, Martha, an action-prone woman, saw the importance of meeting the practical needs involved in tending Jesus' entourage.  That was not Jesus desire, though...HE. WAS. THERE. IN. THE. FLESH!!!! Martha, just calm down and come sit with Him.  Mary's got it...and nobody is going to take her away from that moment...no evil scheme...no sister manipulation...no good works.  The only good work required was for people to sit at the feet of the Great I AM present among them.

Jonah thought he knew better than God.  He thought going to Nineveh was a waste of time, the same as Martha thought sitting by Jesus' feet was a waste of time when there was SO MUCH work to do around the house...the same we think it's a waste of time to spend time seeking, truly, intentionally seeking Him first in the quiet of our souls.  There's too much to do out there in the world!  Too many suffering people need comforting.  Too many wounds need tended.  Too many needy, hungry, hurting people need helped, fed, consoled...there's no way we can slow down and just be still.  

The problem is: that's a lie! Pride might make us think we're indispensable for the completion of the good works we're undertaking...but, who is the One that began and truly completes every good work started in us? (Philippians 1: 6)

In comes the big sea creature...we get swallowed...God finally gets our attention.

A hospital bed, a job that is lost, a loved one gone, a phone call, a dark pit...the belly of the big fish.

Lord...here I am...please let me hear your voice!

What I'm trying to say, without much eloquence is: if we are in so over our head, running around like crazy, doing what we think is kingdom work to the point that we become deaf to the still, small voice of the Lord and neglect our time of surrendering it all to Him Who owns the Kingdom...we might as well be running errands for the devil.

In His infinite love and mercy, though, Our Heavenly Father knows us and He reigns us back in...often it takes us been swallowed up by the equivalent of Jonah's big fish, but He rescues us and He pulls us back to Him.  Our job is to be still and know He is God and to listen to His voice.  All the rest will fall into place if we surrender it all to Him who design it all in the first place.

May the Lord use my imperfect and incoherent words to communicate His perfect message to all who need to hear it today.  In the Precious Name of Jesus!  Amen.