Jonah in us all, part 2

 

The book of Jonah starts with God sending one of his prophets to a country called Nineveh on an assignment. He was to tell the people of the certain destruction which was soon to follow because of their godless lifestyles, which He was fed up with.

Jonah heard the message, but decided not to deliver it, and despite his knowledge of God, he took flight and was headed in the opposite direction to where he was sent to.

Imagine the effrontery we would say. Anyway, while on the boat, a storm arises and the sailors seek answers to what is happening. Behold, when the lots were cast, it went to Jonah. Permit me to derail a little from my original story and remind Nigerians not to be afraid of the outcome of the 2023 elections. The Bible says that when lots are cast, it is God who decides where they fall. The story of Jonah testifies to this. As the Bible says, "God arranged the lot to fall on Jonah."

That being said, try and refocus. We all know the rest, and for those who don’t, study the book of Jonah 1-4. Don't fret. It's a short and interesting read. It won’t take more than 15 minutes.

Anyway, Jonah eventually is swallowed by a big fish, which God, once more, arranged. So whatever is happening in your life, trust that God’s arrangements will work out for your good.

After 3 days in the belly of the fish, Jonah gets the message, repents, asks God for mercy, and is ready to carry out his initial assignment. Guess what? God makes certain that the fish transports Jonah to the exact location to which he had sent him. The fish drops Jonah in Nineveh, and Jonah starts to deliver his message to everyone. His message is short and without fancy words, but strong enough to get to the king and everyone. The king declared a fast on humans and animals alike, and behold, God had mercy on Nineveh. I will talk about the rest of the story another time, but again, you ask how this relates to my previous story on Paeke. Well, here it is.

On Sunday the 21st of August, 2022, while taking an afternoon nap, the Holy Spirit continued the discussion he had started with me the day before my class was to start our fast.

The Holy Spirit told me that Paeke had accomplished his purpose, but like Jonah, so many of us are running from ours. Some of us know the assignment,but would rather do something else, while others are like Queen Esther, who, out of fear, rejected the first message before receiving a second message from Uncle Mordecai. Some are unassuming and scared, like Gideon, while others are like Joseph, Jesus, and Jeremiah, who were aware and ready.

God is OK when we are scared but willing to try. However, He is not OK with us being disobedient or not willing to try.

Do you remember the parable of the talents in the book of Matthew (Matthew 25:14-30)? The one thing that made the master upset with the servant who had the one talent was the fact that he wasn’t even willing to try. He had a distorted mindset about his master, who, coincidentally, was the same master as (of) the other servants who were able to use their talents and multiply them. The master would have preferred that the man had tried and failed rather than not tried at all, as simply burying the talent upset him so much.

In all honesty, no real businessman would ever appreciate that. Likewise, we are all here on assignment. Some of us will carry it out unknowingly, while others will be clear about it and work towards it. There are others amongst us who will know but refuse to do it and one-day stand before God and hear these words, "Get away from me, unfaithful servant."

Do you realize that for you to be alive today, God made an exchange for your life? A costly exchange, and you're carrying on as if you own yourself, disobeying his instructions and allowing the gifts and callings in your life that are meant to set someone free to waste and languish within you.

I have three kids, and in all honesty, I don’t fancy disobedience or disobedient kids. Some of you reading this have staff working for you as drivers, cleaners, cooks, etc. Imagine how annoying it is to give clear instructions and the person comprehends but decides to defy you all the same. Most of us won’t be as gracious as God. We would send them packing instantly, but yet God shows us mercy.

Whatever you are, find your calling and live it. If you don’t know what it is, ask God. He will surely show you, but let me highlight a few to start you off:

Joseph, the father of Jesus and Moses’ father, understood that their assignments were to be supportive of their wives and help them protect their children. Without the help of Moses’ father, Jochebed, his mother didn’t have a chance of saving and hiding that child for that long. They did it as a team, even though his name is never mentioned like the mother.

Joseph was there to support Mary and help her bear the shame of being looked upon as a less virtuous woman than she was, for the belief was that they had fornicated and she conceived before marriage. He was also there to receive guidance from God on how to best protect the infant Jesus from King Herod and his ilk. He was there to raise Jesus into a good man till he was of age to carry out the Father’s business.

How about the Shunamite woman’s husband, who listened to her good advice and supported her in her venture to build a place of rest for Elijah the man of God?

Or are you like the Shunamite woman who encouraged her husband to do good for Elijah and ended up blessing and helping to maintain his family name by getting a son through their acts of kindness?

Are you an aunt? You aren’t left out. Go and read the story of King Josiah’s brave aunt, Jehosheba, who risked her life to hide one of her nephews from the massacre by her mother, Queen Athaliah, after the death of her brother, the king.

Or are you that nurse who hid and took care of Prince Jonathan's lame son, Mephibosheth?

Or like Jethro Moses’ father-in-law, who gave him advice that spared his life and brought about the court system we have today?

Perhaps you are like the little unnamed slave girl who worked in Naaman’s house. She was there to help her master know about the power of the living God who heals and helped lead Naaman and his family to Christ.

Or are you like Saul’s father’s servant, who knew what Saul didn’t know and had what he didn’t have to help him meet Samuel, who anointed him as the king of Israel?

Maybe you are the King David of your family, set to be the game changer who changes the whole trajectory of your family lineage for good and gets God to show them constant mercy and compassion because of his covenant with you.

Don't run away from your calling like Jonah, but when you receive that assignment, ask God for grace to show you how to do it and to help you execute it with excellence. He could have called upon anyone else in the world (even the devil, who is also at his disposal), but he did not. Rather, He chose you, and he did it for a reason and a purpose. He knows you and knows what you can do, as well as what he has deposited in you more than you know yourself.

Wherever you are and wherever you find yourself, know this: the whole world waits in eager expectation for the children of God (you and I) to arise, know their place, callings, and assignments to carry them out.

Paeke had a duty to use his wealth, charm, intelligence, access, and kind heart to unify the most unlikely people, and he executed it with excellence. I have a duty to tell you what God shares with me and to create a better world through my spoken and written words. I pray I am fulfilling my duty and I pray God helps you to fulfill yours so that on the last day, we all hear him welcome us as his good and faithful servants.