We noticed in our previous article that Jonah waited a LONG time before he finally humbled himself enough to pray.
What is so interesting to me about that is the kind of prayer he offers after that long wait.
It is a prayer of deep faith and confidence in GOD. It is a prayer of truth and humility. It is a prayer of conviction and thanksgiving. Jonah apparently knew God, so why does he run away from God instead of running towards Him? Why doesn’t he kneel in prayer immediately instead of waiting until the digestive juices are activated?
I think the answer lies in one of the fundamental sins of mankind; that is the desire to do what WE WANT instead of what God wants.
One of the most powerful lessons we learn from this amazing book is that prayer is NOT about God doing the will of men, but rather men changing their will to be aligned with the Father’s. Jonah knew that and that is exactly why he did not pray in the first place. Notice the second verse of the fourth chapter: “I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and one who relents concerning calamity.” Jonah KNEW the kind of God he served, but refused to change his own will to be aligned with God’s.
Perhaps it was this attitude that God saw in Jonah and the reason He called him into service in the first place. It is apparent to me that the call to go to Nineveh and preach was as much for Jonah as it was for the Assyrians. Jonah needed to be reminded of the supremacy of GOD and the insignificance of himself. He needed the attitude of our Lord and Master as he prayed in the garden, “Not my will but yours”.
Whose will are you seeking? Yours or the Savior’s?