My imagination continues to run wild while considering Jonah’s
experience. I believe that any story is
in the details, and we are given few regarding the timeframe on the ship. This morning as I was watching the wings of
the sunrise take flight I couldn’t help but wonder how many sunrises Jonah saw
before God sent the great wind and violent storm. I searched several resources but couldn’t find
anything. We are simply told that God called…Jonah fled…God sent calamity. But God is anything but simple.
That alone could make us fearful if we were not totally sold
out on believing that God is love. I
cannot help but to believe that even in his disobedience God allowed Jonah to
experience some beautiful sunrises and amazing sunsets before the storm arose. My research states that since Jonah was held
in such high esteem by royalty he undoubtedly had the financial resources to
charter this entire ship. I can just
imagine the first morning after he fled…’he
awakes…goes up top… breathes in that
fresh ocean air…the water is smooth as glass…he watches the sun burst through
the early morning cracks in the sky with oranges and reds. His
heart holds relief that he has escaped God’s command, while at the same time
holds guilt that he is withholding something from others.’ I wonder if his emotions overtook the beauty
of the first morning. Was he even able
to sit at the end of the first day and absorb the magnificent sunset before
him? Knowing our magnificent God, there
were still amazing blessings within his disobedience.
There are times in life when we find ourselves surrounded in
a sea of emotions. These times may be
brought on by our sin or a result of circumstances that God has allowed in our
life. It is a journey that we must take
as determined by God, since nothing enters our life without the permissive
filter of God. If you are reading this
devotional, you are blessed with the gift of vision…the financial resources to
have a computer…the mental capacity to understand its message...both time and
freedom to worship…all spiritual sunrises
and sunsets that God has blessed you with.
Are we missing all of the blessings for which God is surrounding us by
focusing on our circumstances instead of the journey? Do we take for granted our children that God
has entrusted to us? Have we lost the
gratitude for that spouse who loves us dearly?
What grumblings and complaints do we express about our lives instead of
praising God for His blessings?
May we all awake this morning to the realization of our
spiritual sunrises and sunsets that God has given us. ‘Every
good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the
heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows’ James 1:17.
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