Gary Krause
Standing in Joppa
Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me. Jonah 1:1-2
Things were good for Jonah. He was a minor prophet, living in a small village in the country during a time of peace and prosperity. The only message he had to give was good news. But God had bigger plans for Jonah. The Assyrians were a brutal and cruel people. They were known for torture and warfare. God wanted Jonah to go the the Assyrian city of Nineveh. Jonah instead chose to go in the opposite direction. He chose comfort and safety over the danger of the mission God had sent him on.
Our vision is often too small. God wants to give us a bigger vision. Today we are standing in Joppa and we have a choice. We can either live our life in relation to God and his will, or we can choose our own, more comfortable way. Where are we today? How do we know if we are in the right place or the wrong place? Where is our Nineveh? What is God calling us to do?
But the Lord said, “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which [c]came up in a night and perished in a night. And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?” Jonah 4:10-11