God Speaks
Jonah Flees, Cries out to God and Eventually Preaches; Nineveh Repents; God Relents
Verse of the Day: [As Jonah said,] “. . . I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.” [This summary verse is an example.] When God saw what [the people of Nineveh] did and how they turned from their evil ways, He relented and did not bring on them the destruction He had threatened. (Jonah 4:2b and 3:10 NIV 2011)
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We Respond
Reflection
Consider the following questions regarding Jonah 1-4:
> 1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
> 2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
Jonah 1-4 will be viewed as a unit.
1. God is unimaginably merciful and forgiving to all who repent (even those we would consider enemies or terribly wicked).
2. People always have a choice to obey God or not, and there are always consequences for our decisions and/or actions.
Prayer: Dear awesomely forgiving God, thank You for Jesus, God the Son, paying the price for all my sins and taking them away when I repent. Thank You, Jesus, for giving me all Your righteousness and authority instead. Holy Spirit, please unite with my spirit to enable me to think, speak, and act as Jesus would in my body, mind, will, emotions, and circumstances. Thank You, LORD, for saving the souls and culture of the Ninevites for 150 years after their repentance. Please do that again in the USA and all the other nations of the world today. Please turn Your people around (even if You have to use extreme measures as You did with Jonah) so that we will preach (or share) the truth of Your coming judgment unless people repent. I am believing that people in the US and around the world will (like the people of Nineveh) believe God and get serious about their sins (fasting and mourning over them). This will involve every level of society, even government officials. This means turning from our evil ways and violence. If we do so individually and corporately, we can count on You, O LORD, to relent of the disaster You said You would send. As Jonah said, “You are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people.” Help people, especially those who belong to You, to get our priorities straight and value what You value. For the glory of Your name, LORD. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will ask the Holy Spirit to show me the sins I need to repent of and turn away from.
- I will humble myself before the LORD and repent of my sins.
- I will join with others in times of repentance, prayer and fasting.
- I will sing (or speak) praise to God for His mercy and forgiveness.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.