Jonah 1:3a Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish.
It is believed that a band of Europeans from Norway may have been the first ones to touch the soil of North America about 500 years before Christopher Columbus was born! According to the “Saga of Erik the Red,” Leif Eriksson crossed the Atlantic by accident after sailing off course on his return voyage from Norway.
Jonah the prophet was not drifted away by the wind in the opposite direction like Eriksson but He chose to flee from his mission and commission. He traveled to Tarshish (modern day Spain) when God had sent him as a missionary to Nineveh (modern day Iraq) which was a flourishing capital of the Assyrians. Jonah had a message of warning to the enemies of the Jews, that if they did not repent of their sins, the Lord would destroy them in 40 days. For about 300 years (900-600BC), the Assyrians dominated the eastern Mediterranean, Iran, Iraq up to Egypt. They were indomitable warriors and were ruthless to their hostages. They publicly shamed, dismembered and burnt the chained captives alive.
Jonah was sent as an evangelist to such a fierce, formidable and fearsome people, hence instead of travelling east to Iraq he travelled west to Spain. Since Jonah rejected God’s itinerary, the Lord rerouted his GPS back to Nineveh. Some storms in life are a direct result of rebellion and disobedience. Squalls are only catalysts to redirect us back to our mission, vision and destination.
Check your itinerary:
- Misconception: Jonah missed the plot and the purpose as he had a misconception of the nature of God. Many times we think, God hates everyone who has hurt, harmed or horrified us. We expect judgment to come upon them instantaneously. Even the monstrosity of Assyrians did not change the nature of God. He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger. If we fail to understand the heart of God, we will misconceive our purpose on earth. Demystify the misconception of God.
- Misdirection: Jonah could have rebelled and remained in Israel but he chose to run the opposite direction. Most times there will be a mismatch between what we want and what God wants for us. To avoid a mission trip to Iraq, Jonah self-appointed himself as an Evangelist to Spain. Many distract themselves with busyness to avoid problems, pain and their purpose. Excessive endowments, generosity or social service to the needy at the expense of our household, are only misdirections from God’s plan. Charity starts at home. Your purpose is to embrace and fix the brokenness in your habitat. Distraction will misdirect.
- Miscarriage: Miscomprehension will abort the purpose but obedience (even when we don’t understand) will direct us to our God given purpose. Jonah was swallowed by a fish and was spewed on the shores of Nineveh. He preached and witnessed a great revival in a pagan land. Yet Jonah sat outside the city, cranky, callous and complaining about the success of his mission work! Purpose is not fulfilling your agenda but God’s. Discontent will abort/miscarry divine purpose.
The place, people and profession in our life are tied into God’s greater purpose. Dissatisfaction, disdain or discontent, will waste our God given potential, they will squander God’s grace and miss God’s divine purpose for our lives.
Jonah 4:9 Jonah said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”
Prayer: Dear Jesus, may my infantilized misconception or misdirect never miscarry my divine purpose. Help me to find and fulfill my divine purpose.
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