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My Whale vs. My Worm

For the last week, we have studied what the Bible says about submission. But there is one more story I’d like to look at.

Jonah is an interesting book; it reads like a roller coaster with all the ups, downs, curves, and loops. But what stands out to me is how Jonah approached the topic of submission.

At first, he doesn’t submit to God’s will at all but rather runs in the other direction. This results in him being swallowed by a whale. And that’s when he decides to submit—when he’s in a whale of a situation.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t stay in that submission, because when he has preached to the Ninevites, he doesn’t stay with them but rather chooses to sit on a hill outside the city. This results in him getting beat by a worm—a lowly insignificant creature.

We don’t know what happened to Jonah after this story, but there is a question in here for all of us.

Are we willing to submit our significant issues to God (the “whales”), and are we willing to submit our insignificant issues (the “worms”) to God?

That’s a powerful question, and for each of us, our whales and worms are different.

For some men, the “whale” is your business and whether you will submit it to God, while for others, that’s a “worm” for them, and they readily trust Him already in that area.

For some, the whale is your cell phone, while for others, that’s their worm.

What about the time you spend with your family? Is that a whale or a worm issue for you?

What about your finances? Your volunteering in your church? Or how you treat the person pumping your gas or the cashier at the grocery store?

You see, God is not interested in us submitting only our whale issues. He wants us to submit in every way, and this means our worm issues, too.

If we only ever submit our whales and not our worms, we might just be missing out on some of the greatest things God wants us to be a part of.

So, what is it that you need to submit to Him?

Now, are you willing to do that?

There’s only one way to find out.

Submit.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for wanting to be involved in every area of my life. Help me see which areas are “whale” issues and which are “worms.” Then, help me submit them all to You. Amen.

Reflection: At the end of this week’s devotionals, what is your biggest takeaway about biblical submission? How do you understand it as God’s victory in your life instead of a loss? Now go live in His victory for you!

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