I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O Lord my God, snatched me from the jaws of death! – Jonah 2:6
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God told Jonah exactly where He wanted him to go, but Jonah had other plans, and by going his own way, he ended up in the worst condition he could ever be. God eventually delivered Jonah, but if Jonah had obeyed the first time, he could have avoided it.
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How many times have we gone in the opposite direction of what God wanted for us? How many times have coveted opportunities given to other people, even though we knew God has something just for us? How often have we known that God wanted us to trust Him with our finances, but let our doubts get the best of us? How often have we failed to forgive, even when we knew God wanted us to?
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Being obedient to God doesn’t only mean following him when we get an assignment to go to a new place and we choose to go somewhere else instead. Being obedient to God is also choosing to listen to His voice when the voices of fear, doubt, and anxiety try to tell us what to do. This is what keeps on a path toward a righteous life in Him.
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At the root of Jonah’s decision was a need to fulfill his own desires and not the Lord’s.
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When it comes to any decision you’re about to make, ask yourself: “what is at the root of my desires? Is it fear of missing out, fear of not being good enough? Is it pride, insecurity, or anxiety, or is it a desire to please God, and trust Him more?”
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Everyone has a reason for doing what they do. But we each have to the responsibility to look at the root of our actions and decisions and identify if it is in pursuit of the Lord or not.
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And being honest with yourself in this way is nothing to be afraid of! Because even when you have fallen down to the very root of the mountain and into the depths of the deepest part of the sea, take heart, for you are still not too far gone for God to bring you back to where you need to be.
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Written by Morgan Harper-Nichols for #TheDevoCo
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