ICS Daily Devotions
The Fruit of God’s Peace
Jonah 1:1-3 (NKJV) Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
God’s peace comes when we live close to God, in His presence. It is hard to obtain God’s peace when we run away from God. The prophet Jonah is a good example. Jonah was a believer. His faith in God was not threatened. He had a greater faith in God than most of his fellows. He was spiritually very sensitive and knew what was going on. But his problem was that he resisted God’s will after God sent him to preach in the hated city of Nineveh. He made a wrong decision that brought about negative consequences.
Jonah 1:8-9 (NKJV) So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?” He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”… “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”
Jonah’s poor choice was the source of all his problems and disrupted God’s peace not only in him but also in his surroundings. He knew that the storm on the sea happened because of him after he ran away from the responsibilities of his divine calling. The sailors were terrified as the storm was getting rougher and rougher. Eventually, Jonah picked up his faith and let himself be thrown to the waves to calm the storm and saved the other sailors.
When Jonah was getting back into the will of God, it brought peace to the sea, to the souls of the sailors, and eventually also to the spirit of Jonah. That is how God’s peace operates. The divine blessing is spread everywhere. Jonah stopped walking by his feelings, no matter how much he hated Nineveh. For once, he walked around in the will and peace of God. Later on, the whole city was converted!
Jonah 4:1-3: But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
Jonah was still angry and fought with God after the city repented. But God is slow to anger. He would not let anything to disrupt His peace. Someone once described God as “the One who enjoys in Himself”. He was patient not only with Nineveh but also with Jonah. He taught Jonah several lessons to reaffirm His compassionate and loving character. It is a very inspiring and encouraging story. Despite our mistakes, God works on us and will let His plan to be carried through. Nothing can snatch us out of God’s hand!
Sermon series: Having the Peace of God (4)
