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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion January 22, 2006 God Calling |
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Frontline Devotion for Sunday, January 22, 2006 by Anne B. Crawford
For the past couple of weeks at church, the theme in our Sunday lessons has been on God’s call. We’ve had the story of God calling Samuel, of John the Baptist calling folks to repentance, and the call of Jesus to his disciples. Jonah is also a story about God’s call – His call to Jonah which was at first rejected, then accepted and later questioned, and His call to Nineveh to repent, which was heeded. There is much to consider about responding to God’s call in the book of Jonah; one of the shortest books in the Bible, but one that packs a lot of content in a few short chapters.
Let’s start with Jonah. His first response to God’s call is to run away. It was not to argue with God or tell him “no” directly. He simply wanted to get away as though he had never heard God call him. But God is nothing if not persistent, and He finally gets Jonah’s attention (in the whole storm on the water and swallowed up by a fish part of the story). So then Jonah decides to do as God asks and tell the Ninevites that God will punish (destroy) them if they don’t repent. However, when they do repent (and we’ll get to the Ninevites in a moment) Jonah is unhappy. He wanted the Lord to destroy the Ninevites and their repentance ruins Jonah’s expectations. His ‘understanding’ of what God’s call meant was flawed and things didn’t work out the way he thought they should. I think the lesson here is that when God calls us to respond, we need to leave the outcome to him and simply reply “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.” (1Samuel 3:9).
Let’s turn now to the Ninevites. Jonah’s call to them, on God’s behalf, is to repent. Here, there is no second guessing, or running away. The Ninevites respond with repentance. Not just a few of them, but the entire city. But I want to focus on the King of Nineveh. Here he was the supreme leader of Nineveh. He could have simply ordered his people to repent, and held himself exempt. But he did not. He ordered the entire population to repent and fast, but he also answered the Lord’s call by setting an example. Whatever the Lord asked the Ninevites to do – he was going to be sure that he led the way. When God calls us we need to respond not only with a yes on our lips, but with a yes in our hearts and actions that lead by example.
Jonah and the Ninevites – examples of the range of responses we have to God’s call. In all honesty, my responses also run along that spectrum. I am not always willing or eager to hear or respond to God’s call. At other times, I heed the call, but fall prey to disappointment and frustration when the results aren’t what I expected (rather than trusting that God’s purposes will prevail). Finally, and probably not often enough, my response is sometime swift and sure, with no second-guessing God, or holding myself exempt. That’s the response that I need to practice more and when I fail, thank God that he’s both forgiving and persistent.
PRAYER: Gracious God, you call each of us in many ways to love and serve you. Be persistent when we are afraid or uncertain of your call. Grant us courage to say yes and to respond boldly to your call, no matter the task, trusting You will provide us with whatever is necessary to accomplish your work here on earth. Thank you for trusting us to be your messengers and your body in the world. Amen.
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All are welcome to join and share in our Devotional Ministry on the "Frontlines" of the world. Frontline Devotions are sent via email daily. Sign up by clicking on the box to the left. Pastor Dave welcomes feedback. Contact him at pastordave@goodshepherdonline.org. |
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