Jonah- the Reluctant MissionarySýnishorn

A Second Chance 

Jonah is alive! Who would have thought that a man could find his purpose and calling at the bottom of the sea? God met Jonah when he was as far from God as he could possibly be: although the physical distance in the depths of the sea is nothing to God, it is a good picture of the spiritual distance that Jonah tried to put between himself and God. At death's door, Jonah recognized his own idolatry that had led him astray, and he experienced God's grace, emerging as a new man.

The word of the Lord comes to Jonah a second time (verse 1). In a sense, the story is repeating itself, but things are very different now: God has rescued Jonah from the sea, from a fish and ultimately from himself! Spiritually transformed, Jonah now obeys. He is ready and willing to communicate God's grace to the Ninevites.

What makes Jonah obedient? Having experienced God as both his Judge and Savior, Jonah now knows both brokenness and grace. He is still a work in progress, as the story will later reveal. For the moment, however, we get a clear picture of what happens when we are broken, and we experience God's grace: our stubborn hearts are softened, we become more obedient, and we move outward in service to God and others.

Why does God use Jonah? Why not raise up another, more reliable missionary? The calling still stands for Jonah because God loves mercy. Jonah's personal experience is a living sermon of hope that says: "I ran from God, but He graciously pursued me! This same God is pursuing you. Stop running from Him and repent!"

There is nothing like a personal encounter with the Lord to motivate and empower people on mission. Abraham, Moses, David, Jeremiah, Isaiah, the Apostles, Paul and so many others in Scripture were profoundly impacted by a personal encounter with God that accompanied their calling. This same gracious God is still at work revealing himself and calling his people to do the great work of sharing the good news.