Is Your Storm More Like Jonah, Job or Jerusalem?

Is Your Storm More Like Jonah, Job or Jerusalem?

Jonah. Jonah knew what God wanted him to do, he just did not want to do it so he took a ride on a ship headed for the opposite direction of what God wanted. The result was a great storm nearly sank the ship, the crew confronted Jonah, Jonah confessed he was the problem and told them to throw him overboard. Still defiant, Jonah would rather face death then do what God wanted. The crew reluctantly did as Jonah asked and God in his mercy caused a great fish to swallow him alive. He remained in the fish for three days until he repented and then God released him.
Sound familiar? Have you ever known what God wanted you to do but you refused to do it and as a result were punished for disobedience? Maybe you are in this place right now and are realizing that the storm you are in is a direct result of not being obedient to God's commandments. The good news is that it is not too late to do the right thing. Perhaps your economic situation is the result spending more than you have or wanting things that are out of your price range (also known as envy, lust or covetousness). Take a lesson from Jonah, only though do not wait until a fish swallows you up, and repent. Decided to live a life based on being grateful for what God has provided instead of always looking over the fence to see what others have and wanting it instead.
Job. Unlike Jonah, Job did not do anything to deserve losing all he had. Instead Job found himself in the middle of spiritual warfare between God and Satan. God knowing and trusting Job's faithfulness allowed Satan to take his home, his wealth, his family and finally his health. Job was left with three friends who questioned his every action and provided little comfort in his time of need. In the end, God answers Job's questions as to why He allowed such tragedy to happen by reminding Job that He is the creator of all things, the giver of all life, the designer of all forces of nature, the author of all wisdom, the provider of judgment, the source of all strength, the owner of all things, and the defeater of all evil.
Sound familiar? Have you had everything taken from you and then turned to God to ask why He would allow such a thing to happen? Maybe this describes you better than Jonah and you have searched your heart and actions for what you have done wrong and found nothing. The temptation is to then blame God for the state you find yourself in and question His divine nature. Instead recognize that there are spiritual factors beyond your control and influence. What you can control in this environment is your reaction, your continued commitment to God, your faithfulness to His word, and your love of His commandments.
Jerusalem. After the split of the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom following the reign of King Solomon, Jerusalem had a series of Kings both good and bad. Repeatedly in Scripture we learn that God was displeased with the people and their continued offering of sacrifices to idols. The idols took different forms and required different sacrifices from small tokens of money to live people. Even the good Kings failed to completely remove all of the idols from the people and as a result God allowed the evil Kings to take over the land. The evil kings would frequently assassinate to gain power, murder family members of previous Kings, and rule through intimidation and fear. The people who were promised protection by God if they followed His commandments were left without protection from both their own Kings and neighboring nations.
Sound familiar? Have you ever wondered about how our nation has fallen so far from the original design of the Constitution of the United States and why we seem to be in constant battle with other nations? One of the mistakes the people of Jerusalem made was looking for the King to do the right thing and then to follow him. The people had access to the Prophets of the time who willing spoke God's truth to anyone who would listen from Kings to servants. As a people we too can look into our own lives and recognize how we are part of the problem our nation faces. Instead of waiting for the politicians to get it right, we need to get it right in our own homes. Idols take different forms today but the concept is the same, it is anything that we trust for security or worship more than God. It can be TV, video games, money, house, job, car, 401K, computer, news, internet, family or friends. This is not an exclusive list as the point is to evaluate your own life and see if you have an idol you need to remove.
Tough times are difficult to weather. Reflection into your personal life for potential causes of the tough times is even harder. But if you evaluate your life using the lessons learned from Jonah, Job and Jerusalem by acknowledging the problems, repenting from the problems and renewing your faith and commitment, the blessings and promises of God will stand in the end.
Chris Hammond is a Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern at LifeWorks Group w/ over 15 years of experience as a counselor, mentor & teacher for children, teenagers & adults. Reprint Permission- If this article helps you, please share it with your own list at work or church, forward it to friends and family or post it on your own site or blog. Just leave it intact and do not alter it in any way. Any links must remain in the article. Please include the following paragraph in your reprint."Reprinted with permission from the LifeWorks Group weekly eNews, (Copyright, 2004-2011), To subscribe to this valuable counseling and coaching resource visit http://www.LifeWorksGroup.org or call 407-647-7005"ticle Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christine_M_Hammond Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6412724


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