DOWN

“Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once! The sailors were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered Him a sacrifice and vowed to serve Him.” – Jonah 1:15-16 

 

As we continue to look at the story of Jonah, and the disobedience he displayed when God asked him to go to Nineveh, we come to something important for you to understand. I find it interesting that Jonah didn’t argue with God about this mission—He simply ran from it. 

When God told him to go north and east, he chose to go west. This was an “in-your-face” kind of disobedience. It was Jonah doing everything he could to flee the Lord’s presence. Have you ever been there before? 

Let me show you something I noticed…something I had never previously noticed before. In verse 2, the first thing God told Jonah was “Get up!” God called Jonah UP. But then you get down to verse three and Jonah is fleeing the Lord’s presence…He’s choosing to run away from God’s presence, God’s calling, God’s protection, and God’s favor. 

And in refusing to GET UP, in making the decision to flee God, it says several times that Jonah went DOWN. It says he went DOWN to Joppa. He proceeds to go DOWN into the boat and then he lays DOWN to go to sleep. 

My friend, running from God will always take you down. You can’t run away from God and expect God to take you up. You can’t choose to disobey God and then expect God to bless you. This is a biblical principle we need to remember: You will never go up while you’re living in rebellion against God.  

When God calls you up, and you choose to go down, you aren’t only running away from the will of God, you’re choosing to run away from the blessings of God. 

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bible verse

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

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