Reviving Our Faith: A Modern Reflection on Jonah

Beware: we, as Christians, may be more like Jonah than we would like to admit. In the well-known story of Jonah, we learn how he ran from God's call to deliver a special message to a pagan people. While we often focus on his flight and the encounter he had with a great fish, we must remember Jonah's deeper issue. Jonah not only fled from the Almighty; he struggled to believe in God's power and ability to work in the lives of the Ninevites. Perhaps his unbelief stemmed from a lack of contemplation or an inability to see the incredible possibility that God could transform the hearts of the people in Nineveh. He believed it would be a waste of time and felt endangered by sharing a message of condemnation with an unrepentant people.

Recently, during a brief conversation with fellow Christians, someone remarked, “...we know it's bad now, but it is just going to get worse, according to the Good Book.” If this is truly the case, why should we even attempt to improve our world or hope for a better tomorrow? If we are already in the final days, should we simply sit back and await our future with Christ in heaven?

Call me simple-minded, but I firmly believe that all things are possible with God. He can redirect our nation from its pagan path, allowing many more people to repent and follow Him. I do not believe our society is any worse than the people of Nineveh. So, will He deliver us? If we agree that He can, then we must also believe that He may.

2 Chronicles 7:14 states, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” This verse begins with a small two-letter word that carries significant weight: "If." This word presents us with the choice to turn toward God in search of help or to turn away from Him until we find ourselves in the belly of a great fish. God desires to act, but He seldom forces us to choose His will or ways.

We need to examine our personal "want to" and be prepared to be amazed not only by the power of God but also by how He can take a mess and make it beautiful again. Remember, Zechariah wrote, “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit...”