There was a city whose people had very hard hearts. But remember that God loves all His children, and He wants them to know about His unconditional, unchanging, uncontainable, unending, and unfailing love. It seemed like they didn’t want to have anything to do with God, but God does not give up. So, God asked a man named Jonah to go teach the people about God’s love. In
Jonah 1:1-3 you read about how Jonah didn’t want to do what God asked. He didn’t want to go to such a hard city. He didn’t believe they would listen. He rose and turned himself away and went to a boat to try to get as far away as he could. Jonah knew he couldn’t hide from God, but he thought he would try. The boat that he was on was in a very terrible storm and the people were afraid. Jonah said to the people that he was the cause of the storm, and that they should throw him over the side of the boat. The people didn’t want to, but they also didn’t want to die in the storm, so they threw him over. Plop! In verse 17 it tells of how the Lord had already planned for Jonah trying to run away. He sent a big, humongous fish that swallowed up Jonah. And he stayed in that fish’s belly for 3 days. He had a long time to think about all those people who didn’t remember about God’s love, and he knew about it, but he was too afraid to share it. He decided that he was sorry for running away and he would go to the people of Nineveh. In
Jonah 2:10 it tells how the Lord had the fish plop him right out onto dry land. So, then Jonah went to the city and taught the people about God’s love and guess what? They believed him and they started to feel God’s unconditional, unchanging, uncontainable, unending, and unfailing love and their hearts started to not be so hard and they started to take care of the people in the city.
God knows that His love can change people. God knows that His love is the change people need. God sent His love to those people and to us today through His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus once too went to a boat and there was a storm. He walked on the water and his disciple asked if he would walk on the water too. Jesus said come. And the disciple did start walking on the water, but he got distracted by the storm and started to sink. Jesus reached out and caught him. They walked back to the boat together and the storm stopped. We need to remember God sent His Son to teach us that with Jesus we can do the things God asks us to do. God sent His Son so we would never have to feel like we are sinking or swallowed up by a big fish. He is always there ready to give us His love. He also wants us to give others the gift of His love too.
This Christmas season think about the unexpected way God answers prayers. Think about how He can do anything because of His love for us. Also think about the people who have forgotten about his love and think of ways you can help them feel His love today.
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