1. JONAH God’s Omnipresence Jonah 1:4-11

 In my Bible (NIV) as I read of Jonah’s adventures I was strongly reminded of God’s Omnipresence.
    Jonah was a Prophet called by God to preach to Israel’s long time enemy Assyria in their capital city of Nineveh. At that time, this city was very evil and in fact was known as “the city of blood” because of the murders and bloodshed that took place there on a regular basis. So one can have a bit of sympathy for Jonah not wanting to go there. However that’s what God told him to do.
As was then and in fact right through the Old Testament, Prophets were not keen to give out bad news, very often Prophets received a hard time if the news they were bringing was not acceptable by the recipients. God’s message for Nineveh was definitely not going to be acceptable, so that was another reason why Jonah took off in the opposite direction to a port called Joppa, where he caught a boat going up north to Tarshish (a distance I understand of about 500 miles).
    Jonah must have been tired after walking to Joppa  with God’s voice in his ear saying “Go to Nineveh!, go to Nineveh.” (If God is telling us to do something He keeps at us until we do it.) So to get away from God’s voice, when Jonah got on board, he went to sleep. Do we do that? When God is trying to get our attention? Do we go somewhere else or have a nap?  God will get our attention one way or another, His will will be done even if it takes a storm. And it wont be in a tea cup!!
    So as we all know, a storm took hold. (Historians tell us that there were two unusual things about this storm
1. This wasn’t the season for storms in that part of the world and 2. These sailors were competent men and would never have risked their ship, cargo or the lives of their crew by going out in an eminent storm).            However there was a storm, and in the light of the above they could only attribute it to “the gods”
    As the ship was about to capsize, and after throwing all the cargo and unnecessary equipment overboard, the crew realised the problem was not with them, but with someone on board. It’s interesting to note here that even these superstitious, heathen sailors attributed this weather phenomena to the working of a     higher power; that this was no ordinary storm and therefore must be the result of the behaviour of someone on board.
    The only way they knew of finding out who was responsible, and what to do about it was by casting lots. Even then God came through for Jonah and he had to confess and pay the penalty for his sin. Once we confess and acknowledge our offences against God He is ready to forgive, that is forgive, not necessarily let us off the hook.
Sin always has a consequence either for us, our families, friends or workmates, and that’s where true remorse and repentance is required.  As he expressed in the prayer he prayed inside the “big fish” (Jonah 2.1-9).
    Three days later God caused the fish to vomit Jonah up on the shore, the sight and smell of him must have been horrific but that was enough for Jonah to then do as the Lord had told him to. There should be a another lesson here for us too (face the music before it’s too late, i.e before you get a name for yourself and people start to avoid and or distrust you.
    Again God spoke to Jonah telling him to go to Nineveh with His message, this time he went and gave them the word from God “Forty days and Nineveh will be destroyed” and the people believed him, I also  believe he would have told them about his exploits over the previous week which would have been confirmed by his appearance and odour.
    
Labouring the point of the omnipresence of God, I need to explain, God was there when Jonah walked to Joppa, He was there also on the way to Tarshish, on board the ship, even when he went to sleep, God was there, also in the midst of the heathen sailors, then again at the bottom of the sea when Jonah was being strangled by seaweed, even in the belly of the Big Fish, God was there, and on the shore when he was thrown up.
God gave Jonah several opportunities to turn back to Him, as He gives us too, but it wasn’t until he was at the bottom of degradation that God spoke to him again. “Now will you do as you are told.” Only then did Jonah reply “Yes Sir” The lesson here is when we are sure God is speaking “Do it” don’t wait till He has to bring out His “Big Guns” or Big Fish!!.
    
Jonah went to the very large city of Nineveh and proclaimed the message God had given him, and all the people heard, even the king went into mourning and declared a fast, they were all penitent before the Lord...
It’s interesting to note here that when the King made a declaration to fast and pray for their city, God heard and relented. When the leader of a country recognises God for who he is, then the people change.
We need to pray for our leaders even if they are unbelieving heathens as these were.
    
The Bible tells us, God heard their prayer and stayed His hand. It talks to me about corporate prayer, about when people come together on a particular issue (Abortion and Euthanasia) God hears from heaven and answers prayer. Of course the decision is always His, but in my experience prayer, accompanied by a humble spirit always touches God’s heart.
Now, Jonah as we know, went outside the city, built himself a little shelter and waited to see his prophesy come to pass. And when it didn’t happen he became very angry with God for not fulfilling that prophesy. Why? Because now his credibility was at stake (Pride) and may be his head too knowing the reputation of that city. But the will of God is paramount and overrides everything even our God-given gifts. He and His will is in all and above all. So very soon after his first experience of God’s power, Jonah had another lesson to learn.
    Maybe he thought, by way of apology God had sent a plant to grow up overnight to shade him from the heat, thus Jonah felt justified by his anger.
     Not so!!!   God has no need to apologise to anyone, there are no accidents, mistakes, apologies or coincidences with God. He is perfect in all His ways. So here comes the next lesson “God sent a worm to eat the plant and Jonah received a sunburned head. this only made Jonah more irritable and angry. Now God had to speak to him in very strong but simple terms... (“What’s wrong with you?  You get upset over a plant that’s here today and gone tomorrow but you didn’t show any sympathy for the one hundred and twenty thousand people of Nineveh who would have been killed if my anger came upon them.”
    

Human beings are the most precious creation of God, He lived and died for us. That is something we all need to take on board, yet there are people today to whom life is very cheap, it has no value, purpose or validity as in the cases stated of abortion or euthanasia. Life is so very precious to God that we all will be held accountable for how we use and treasure it, both our own and everyone we encounter. Why? Because each and everyone of us is made in the image of God who is our loving Father who only wants the very best for us and who alone can provide that for us. Thanks be to God for our eyes, ears and minds which we should keep continually tuned into our God so that we don’t miss what He wants us to see, hear and think as He imparts His will to us.
                           Thank you for reading this
                               Phaline.                 ----------------------------------------