Obedience vs. Rebellion - which one will God use?

Jonah said to the men, “I know I did wrong—that is why the storm came on the sea. So throw me into the sea, and the sea will become calm.” Instead, the men tried to row the ship back to the shore, but they couldn’t do it. The wind and the waves of the sea were too strong—and they were becoming stronger and stronger. (Jonah 1:12-13)

If you are anything like me, you have probably tried any number of ways to figure out a solution that seemed quite a bit harder than you'd like it to be, all the while having been given the 'right answer', but choosing to ignore it in pursuit of 'any other solution'. The issue with 'any other solution' is that it rarely proves to be 'easier' or 'the best'. When we are told clearly what we need to do and ignore it in pursuit of anything else, we can be sure the work we are putting into the 'solution' will fall short of fixing the issue.

The seas were rocking the boat, it was taking on water from the rough seas, the winds were fierce, but these sailors are going to 'row back to shore'? How realistic is that? They are having a tough enough time trying to 'ride it out', much less escape it! The issue was Jonah's disobedience. The answer was to send him to the sea. The dilemma was that no sailor wanted to abandon a passenger into the depths of the sea if they weren't doing so for a burial at sea! Sometimes the solution seems a little odd or 'out of the realm of normal', but when God gives the solution, we would do well to listen.

So the men cried to the Lord, “Lord, please don’t say we are guilty of killing an innocent man. Please don’t make us die for killing him. We know you are the Lord, and you will do whatever you want.” So the men threw Jonah into the sea. The storm stopped, and the sea became calm. When the men saw this, they began to fear and respect the Lord. They offered a sacrifice and made special promises to the Lord. (vs. 14-16)

Did the sailors feel tremendous guilt in following through on what Jonah advised? Absolutely. Did they see any other way? Nope. Could it be that even Jonah's disobedience would give these sailors a chance to see the power of the one true God, some of which I am sure were not following the Lord because they were to 'praying to their gods' to calm the seas? We'd like to think God could use our rebellion and disobedience in a positive manner, wouldn't we? God can use ANYTHING or ANYONE to share the truth about who he is, but he'd much rather do so through our actions of obedience instead of those of our rebellion! Just sayin!

That big, huh?

God’s love is meteoric, his loyalty astronomic, His purpose titanic, his verdicts oceanic. Yet in his largeness nothing gets lost; Not a man, not a mouse, slips through the cracks. (Psalm 36:5-6)

Meteoric - brilliant, appearing suddenly and without warning, swiftly revealed. That is an amazing way to describe God's love toward his kids. The brilliance of his love enlightens any soul - bringing light into places where light may not have dwelt for quite some time. It appears swiftly - sometimes without our noticing it has come, but somehow enveloping us in the warmth and brilliance of it. God's love doesn't come with a 'warning' that he is about to 'love you'. A man might get down on one knee to propose - a sign that his love for a woman is greater than anything else he has felt before and his heart delights in just her. God's love isn't quite as 'momentary' - it comes when we need it most, sometimes in ways we least expect it, and always with purposeful intent. Indeed, it is 'meteoric'.

Astronomic - so large and so great that it is impossible to measure - there is no depth or breadth to it that can be measured. You've heard the saying, "As far as the east is from the west", and that likely is how we would measure God's love - astronomic! The vastness of his love is most felt in the limitlessness of his grace. You know we 'measure' one's love by the magnitude of one's actions, don't you? We all do it even when we don't think we are doing it. Something they do touches us in a deep way and we 'know' we are indeed loved by the other person. All that God does reveals the 'largeness' of his love for his creation - an his loyalty to the very things he has created. From the giving on his Son to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins to the day-to-day infusions of grace we all need - his love is without measure, but his actions on our behalf are felt. 

Titanic - the enormity of God's love isn't fully appreciated by our human brains, but it is experienced in our hearts. His strength and his power are not things our mind fully grasps, but our hearts are filled to overflowing when we experience his strength on our behalf, or see his power displayed in all its glory. We come to know how 'massive' his love is when we begin to experience how limitless his grace is toward us. God's purposes are not always revealed to us before he acts on our behalf, but in those very actions he takes to prepare us, move us, and settle us down in new places of his provision - these things reveal the 'enormity' of his purposes to care for his creation.

Oceanic - he is a decisive God - one that sets the course and then helps us each get to where that course leads. In those moments of 'course-setting' he knows our every thought, feels our every uncertainty, and hears our unsteady breaths. Yet, he never wavers in his plans for us - he moves us forward just as he planned - one step at a time, until the destination is realized. He is the one who has said, "I know the plans I have for you...", and he is the one who brings about the ordered steps that it takes to see those plans totally fulfilled. 

Though 'large' in his greatness, he is never lost to his followers. Though 'vast' in his plans, he never allows one step to be overlooked. He is our loving God - loyal beyond measure even when our loyalty toward him seems to wax and wane at times. Just sayin!