The biblical story about prophet Jonah is a notorious one that even young children know. Jonah chapter 1 records the word of God that came to Jonah to preach the word to the Assyrians in Nineveh for them to repent. In defiance, Jonah decides to travel towards the opposite direction to flee from the Lord (Jonah 1:3). However, God called a huge storm which threatened the ship. The men who were with him tried to row back to land before eventually throwing him into the sea, reflecting how futile are the small efforts of man to go against the almighty God.

In the church, we often hear of God’s calling for full-time workers, especially the preachers. Some did not want to heed God’s calling at first, and yet they eventually submitted to the will of God and became full-time ministers. If God truly calls us to do His work as reliable vessels, do we listen or do we pretend to not hear it? Jonah knew that the storm resulted because of his running away (Jonah 1:12), likewise, many people who ran away at first eventually came to realise that what was happening to them at that point in time was because of the decision they had made with regards to their calling. Perhaps we may run away because we believe we are not worthy enough to shoulder such responsibilities, or perhaps we feel that we are not ready at that point in time. Yet, the Bible says those who heed the word, those who trust in the Lord will be happy (Proverbs 16:20). Would this be a reflection of the state of our faith?

In our lives, we have definitely also made plans, even if you identify as a J or P using the Myers-Briggs personality test (MBTI); the former referring to someone who plans a lot and the latter referring to someone who tends to be more spontaneous. For example, we even plan what to eat, what to do for the day. Hasn’t there been days where it feels like our plans have been derailed, yet we somehow feel the presence of God’s hands working in our lives? The story of Jonah highlights the absolute control of God over our lives. Even if we were to deny the voice of God, He has a way for us to turn back to Him. What will you do when you have received God’s calling?  

 A man’s heart plans his way,
But the LORD directs his steps.
(Proverbs 16:9)