The last few weeks, Tim has been teaching through the book of Jonah. Like most church going Southerners, I could have given you the gist of Jonah in a short sentence-Jonah runs from God and is swallowed by a fish, stays in there for 3 days, and Jonah goes where he was told to in the first place to speak about God. Done. Easy enough. But that's what never ceases to amaze me about God's word; it is simple enough to break down into a story or a sentence, but deep enough to delve into a few verses per week and provide more than enough to contemplate for days. The latter couldn't be more true for me about the book of Jonah.
God says go, Jonah said no. It's simple enough--I am Jonah. Time and time again, God has laid something on my heart and I've tried to ignore it. But Tim has reminded us throughout this series that God is relentless in the pursuit of His people. Because God loves me, he might throw trials or struggles in my life to bring me to my knees and draw me closer to himself, "in the belly of a fish" so to speak. But no matter what, even if I turn and run further into sins in my life, God has a love that does not loosen its grip or ever let go. Studying the short book of Jonah has been so convicting for me because it has been a bold yet simple reminder that even through my sin patterns and ignorance to how big and absolutely crazy about me God is, He isn't going to give up on me. Ever. And thank goodness for that because I daily have to ask for his grace, mercy, and forgiveness because he knows how dark and deceitful my heart really is, and he loves me regardless.
Read Jonah and just think about how stubborn we are and how persistent God's love is. Seriously, it's only 4 short chapters. Go read it.
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