Believe and Be Bold? The Lord said to Jonah, "Arise, go to Nineveh the great city, and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me." But Jonah rose up... found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare, and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. And the Lord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up… At Jonah's command, the reluctant sailors hurled Jonah into to the sea and it became calm. And then mercifully, the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah (See Jonah 1:1-17). Jonah believed in God, but chose not to be bold in his faith. He actually ran in the opposite direction.
You made me bold with strength in my soul. Ps 138:3 |
When contrasting these two stories, the question is: When I hear uncomfortable or "impossible" instructions from the Lord, will I believe and be bold? Again, when I know that God is asking me to do something for His name's sake, will I run away from Him like Jonah, or will I run toward the battle line like David? Jonah tried to flee the prescence of the Lord, which is truly impossible; David, however, was fully assured that his God was not only with him, but also that His power was go to do the impossible through him.
I challange you to know your God, and wholeheartedly believe in all that He says He is, and then move steadily forward in boldness, knowing He will be both present and active. If you choose this route, both you and all those around you will be blessed. So decide today, my friend, to run to your battle line, because faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass. (I Thess. 5:24)
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