FROM THE DAWGHOUSE…
What Is Your Nineveh?
At church this week, our pastor brought us to Jonah, chapter 2, and ended his message with a question that has stayed with me: WHAT IS YOUR NINEVEH? It’s a simple question, but answering it honestly may not be so easy.
Most of us know the story of Jonah. God called him to go to Nineveh and deliver a message to its people. But Jonah didn’t want to go. Nineveh was a wicked city, and Jonah had his reasons for wanting nothing to do with it. So instead of obeying God, he ran in the opposite direction. We know how that turned out. A storm, a desperate prayer, and a great fish later, Jonah found himself having a conversation with God he probably never expected to have.
But before we shake our heads at Jonah’s disobedience, perhaps we should take a look in the mirror. How often do we do the same thing? God may not be calling us to a wicked city, but He may be calling us to do something that makes us uncomfortable. Perhaps there is someone we need to forgive, a relationship we need to repair, or a difficult conversation we’ve been avoiding.
Maybe He is calling us to speak up when silence would be easier, serve when we would rather sit back, or share the Gospel with someone we fear might reject us. We pray for God to show us His will. We ask Him to open doors and give us direction. But what happens when He points us toward something we don’t want to do?
Sometimes we convince ourselves that the timing isn’t right.
Sometimes we tell ourselves that someone else is better equipped.
Sometimes, if we’re honest, we simply don’t want to go where God is leading.
We want God’s direction, as long as it takes us where we want to go.
So, what is your Nineveh?
What is that thing God may be calling you to do that you keep putting off? What step of obedience have you been avoiding because it is uncomfortable, inconvenient, frightening, or simply not what you had in mind? Here’s something worth remembering: God’s call to Jonah wasn’t a sign that Jonah was capable of handling everything on his own. It was a call to trust and obey the One who sent him.
And Jonah’s story reminds us that even when we run, God doesn’t simply abandon His purposes. He pursued Jonah, heard his prayer, and gave him another opportunity to obey. That doesn’t mean obedience will always be easy. It does mean that our reluctance doesn’t have to be the end of the story.
Perhaps today is the day to stop running.
You don’t have to know every detail. You don’t have to feel completely ready. You simply have to be willing to trust God enough to take the next step. So, I’ll ask you the same question our pastor asked his congregation…
What is your Nineveh?
And more importantly, what are you going to do about it?
“Then I prayed to the LORD my God from inside the fish.” – Jonah 2:1 (NIV)
Sometimes the road back to obedience begins when we finally stop running and start praying.
-Joe Bouch
