Word to the Wise
Wednesday, February 21, 2024 - 1st Week of Lent - Wed
[Jonah 3:1-10 and Luke 11:29-32]The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time.....[Jonah] While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah."
Jonah was familiar with signs. When God first called him, he ran away, got in a boat and tried to get away from God. God sent a storm, the sailors figured out what was going on and tossed Jonah overboard where the "whale" swallowed him and spit him up on the beach! That's when God said, "Had enough? Now go do what I tell you." What God wanted was for Jonah to call the Ninehvites to repentance. He became a "sign" and the Ninehvites believed and repented. [In Matthew 12:38-42, the sign would be Jonah's 3 days in the whale, which Jesus would experience in the grave before resurrection.]
I have often heard people say to me, "I wish God would give me a sign so I would know what to do!" I ask them to look at their own thoughts and the examples of people around them for clues. Are you thinking things that are good and offer direction? Jonah was a pessimist and did not believe the Ninehvites would listen to him! He accomplished a great thing with God's help. Running away from God got him nowhere but in a whale! God had to talk to him twice. How many times does God have to talk to US? We might need to talk to a wise counselor who can help us discern God's voice, but running away is not a good option. Maybe a determined effort to listen during Lent can help! AMEN