YOU CANNOT HIDE FROM GOD

YOU CANNOT HIDE FROM GOD

( the story of Jonah and the GREAT FISH)

Do you know the story of Jonah

And the great fish (whale)

The Lord came to Jonah

And said:

“Go to the great city of Nineveh

And preach against it

Because its wickedness

Has come up before me”                                              Jonah 1:2

But Jonah becomes afraid

And RUNS AWAY FROM GOD

Jonah was an old testament prophet

Growing up

From Galilee

About three miles from Nazareth

The assignment

That God gave Jonah

Was a particularly TOUGH assignment

Because Assyria and its capital Nineveh

Had a brutal and oppressive reputation

And had been long-standing ENEMIES of Israel

Jonah chooses to FLEE

And board a ship

Headed for Tarnish

With some other sailors

And when the other sailors

FIND OUT

He is running from the Lord

They throw him overboard

YOU CANNOT RUN

From the Lord

You cannot hide

From the Lord

At that point

A GREAT FISH swallows Jonah

And Jonah

Is in the fish’s belly

For three days and three nights

Jonah eventually repents

Of his sin

And the great fish

Vomits him

To dry land

YOU CANNOT

HIDE FROM THE LORD

Jonah then

Makes the 500 mile trip to Nineveh

And leads the city

In a GREAT REVIVAL

Nineveh repents

And Jonah becomes angry

At the Lord’s COMPASSION

Jonah prays:

“Oh Lord

This is not what I said

When I was still at home

This is WHY

I was so quick to flee to Tarnish

I KNEW

That you are

A GRACIOUS AND COMPASSIONATE GOD

Slow to anger and abounding IN LOVE

A God who relents

From sending calamity

NOW Oh Lord-take away my life-

For it is better for me to die

Than to live”                                                            Jonah 4:2-3

But the Lord our God

Has a lesson for Jonah

AS HE DOES for you  and for me

And that is:

HE IS A MERCIFUL GOD

And that God

DOES his greatest work

HIS GREATEST MIRACLES

Through the LEAST likely candidates

People like Jonah

PEOPLE LIKE US

And what we consider

To be impossible

GOD SEES IT

As a great opportunity

TO TEACH US that he is

ALL POWERFUL

ALL MERCIFUL

AND ALL COMPASSIONATE

YOU CANNOT hide

From the LORD

Nor should we want to

He MAY just have a MIRACLE

IN STORE FOR YOU AND ME

Robert P. Wallman

4-23-13