Jonah 2:6
To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you, LORD my God, brought my life up from the pit.
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Are You Running From God?
This is the story of a man named Jonah. Jonah was a prophet. Jonah heard from God, ran from God, and was subsequently (after a rather odd series of circumstances) thrown overboard and consumed by a large fish…but it didn’t eat him and he didn’t die. Why is this important?
Let’s imagine just for a minute, what Jonah must have been going through.
We know that just last chapter he had run away from God and was later tossed into the raging sea (by choice) and that shortly after that, God had caused a “Big Fish” to swallow him up.
Now, as we catch up with our rebellious friend Jonah, we can imagine the smell of seawater, other dead fish (assuming this fish was carnivorous), and an unpleasant dampness all around. Definitely not a good place to be…
This is what you might call rock bottom.
So What Exactly is “Rock Bottom”?
It’s that place you hit when everything in your life is taken away and you feel like you’re in the bottom of a pit. For some, this means the death of a loved one, for others the loss of a house and job, and still, others hit rock bottom when they wake up sober in an addiction recovery center.
I know many who have traveled down this path and many that still are and none of them are happy. Running down this path leads to rebellion, addiction, and depression.
What Rock Bottom Has To Offer
Nothing, really nothing.
All that rock bottom has to offer is an empty feeling and a life full of regrets. But, we can choose to use that feeling to drive us toward change.
Have you ever found yourself running from God only to be continuing down a path that leads you to rock bottom? Not fun is it.
But, there is a way out, and it’s simply this. Turn your head to God and ask for mercy. Let Him take charge of your life. I guarantee it will not be easy, just like any recovery there is pain and healing involved *and depending on how deep your wounds are it might take years* But God loves you and He is willing to work with you right where you are!
So What Happens Next
It’s amazing to see how much God loves you even in your mess and how willing He is to pick you up and dust you off if only you ask Him into your life and submit to Him.
Even in the case of Jonah, we do see a positive effect here as this is the only time in the story that Jonah praises The LORD of Israel. Sometimes it takes us being brought to the bottom before we realize we are not the ones on top.
God will do whatever it takes to get your attention, not because He’s an angry God, but because He loves you too much to give up on you.
It’s amazing how when everything is taken away from us and we have nothing left but God, we suddenly remember Him.
Responding to God’s call with willingness and joy
Unfortunately, however, this effect doesn’t last…although Jonah eventually lands where God wanted him to go in the first place and eventually carries out His mission (very unwillingly). He does so with minimal effort and grumbling all along the way.
When God gives us a mission, let’s not reject Him as Jonah did. Let’s take it up with joy in our hearts and zeal in our souls. Because whatever it is and no matter how intimidating it can be, the God who called us is with us and will help us complete it!
For example, Joshua after following Moses for some 40 years in the wilderness was called to carry on the torch and lead the people into the promised land. He knew that there would be battles to face and yet he still went in willingly and trusting in the God who called him. (Numbers 11:24-29)
Another example is Elisha, who was called by God to be the successor of Elijah. On the day that Elijah was to leave him, Elisha was told 3 times by his master to stay in some city but he did not, he stayed instead by his side until the moment Elijah was taken away. (1 Kings 19:15-21)
And lastly, we have the God-man Himself. Jesus knew that the call on His life would lead to His death by execution on the Roman cross. But still, He went willingly. (Mark 8:31-38, Luke 9:22-27)
What happens when we willingly and joyfully respond to God’s call
Joshua’s Rewards: Joshua was able to take the fortified city of Jericho and lead Israel on a mostly successful conquest of the promised land throughout the remainder of his life. (Joshua 12)
Elisha’s Rewards: Elisha got to see his master depart and received a double portion of the blessing of The Lord that was on Elijah. We see this evidenced by him performing double the amount of miracles than his master did throughout the remainder of his story. (2 Kings 2:9-14)
Jesus’ Rewards: Every step of Jesus was intentional and with one goal in mind, to break the power of death and hold that sin had on our lives so that He might bring men and women back into right standing with God. (Colossians 1:19-23)
Because of their faithfulness, each one attained the goal to which they were called and though the road was not easy they kept fighting under the power of God for the mission that He had placed on their lives.
Dr. R.C. Sproul encourages us in Responding to God’s Call that:
“The call of God is not always to a glamorous vocation, and its fruit in this world is often bittersweet. Yet God calls us according to our gifts and talents, and directs us to paths of the most useful service to His kingdom. How impoverished we would be if Jonah had made it to Tarshish, if Paul had refused to preach, if Jeremiah really had turned in his prophet’s card, or if Jesus had politely declined the cup.”
Back to our friend Jonah…
Jonah had to get pretty low (literally below sea level) for God to get his heart’s attention. Let’s not be like that. Instead, let’s remember that God is willing to do whatever it takes to grab our attention and let us be willing to hear Him the first time.
I think Sproul said it best as he wonderfully concludes his article on Running Away from God:
“We might be tempted to look down on Jonah for fleeing to Tarshish. However, when we remember how many times we ignore God’s call, we realize that we are no better than the prophet. When Jesus commands us to do something, we need to heed His words immediately or to repent when we fail to do so. Are you putting off or ignoring the call of Christ? Repent of that today, and begin to fulfill what the Lord wants you to do.”
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Was there a time when you had to hit “rock bottom” before God got your attention? When that happened, what did you do? Did you run away and hide or run to God and embrace His call for your life? Please share it with us in the comments below!
