What is Your Ninevah? by Catherine Weiskopf

The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai:  “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. (Jonah 1:1-3 NIV)

God spoke to Jonah and told him to get on his feet, out the door, and go and preach to the city of Nineveh.  Jonah got to his feet, walked out the door and sprinted the other way. After all who wants to tell bad people to repent and end up as a sword shish kabob. It took an angry ocean and three nights in the belly of a whale to change his mind and obey.

What’s your Ninevah? Where do you not want to go with God?  Yours probably doesn’t involve a sword but most likely it does involve some fear. God is asking you to do something –you’re pretty sure about it. Something has been tugging at your heart for awhile. You may not run away physically, but you run away and try to quiet God’s voice with busyness.

I know how Jonah felt because I ran away as well. I ran from flying on trips I felt called to make. I hated to fly as much as Jonah hated the trip to Nineveh. To most people a trip overseas does not feel like a life or death event, to me it did. Instead of pointy words and rock, my claustrophic thoughts of hundreds of people stuck on a plane click in. So when my husband asked me to go to China with him I made an excuse and got busy avoiding the conversation. Flying was my Ninevah.

I have a friend who has a beautiful voice. She sang and inspired people at church for years. Then one day when she was singing her voice quaked and her hands began to shake. She had a panic attack right on stage. Now she’s in the belly of the whale: she spends her time avoiding singing. Even her new friends have never heard her voice. If they did, they might ask her to sing in public. Singing in public is her Ninevah.

If you are currently in the body of the whale, struggling with fear God wants you to know you are not alone. Fear has temporarily stopped many people including some of the holiest and best:

Elijah ran away to the cave. (1 King 19: 1-18)

Moses argued about his assignment. (Exodus 3:10-13)

Peter denied Christ. (John 18:15-27)

The rest of their stories are.

Elijah came out of the cave and returned to do God’s work.

Moses lost the argument and led the Israelites out of Egypt.

Peter became the rock on which Christ built his church.

They all learned that running, denying, and arguing only stopped them from living the glorious life God had planned for them.

Dear God,

Help me to be obedient even when I am fearful.  

 

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