“Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it.” (Jonah 3:1-3 NIV)
You know the story about Jonah and the great fish, right. You remember how the Lord came to Him and told him to go to Nineveh, but rather than obey, he got up and boarded a ship heading to Tarshish. I’m sure you also remember that the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, and this time he went through Nineveh, and many turned to the Lord because of his obedience. Thank God that He does not give up on us when we have failed Him; acted opposite of what He has explicitly to us to do! Yes, thank Him for all our second, and third, and multiple chances to finish that which we left undone. Thank Him for providing us with opportunities to say, “This time I’m going to obey; follow the words of the Lord…this time!” Look I know that Jonah still had some issues after he obeyed, but God kept working on him, just like He does with us. He keeps working on us when we need correction or in instances where we need our hearts to be crafted in a way that we don’t just do things externally, but rather because we have been changed internally. Look out world when that happens! In Jonah’s story, the work was undone, his experiences in the belly of the great fish were untimely; unexpected according to his time schedule. Yet, a better outcome was realized when Jonah did the work.
Okay, okay! I didn’t forget that you love the “story” portion of these meditations, so let me share a true account with you. Living in a town about fifty miles south of Chicago, residing in a house that was over 50 years old, our next-door neighbor, prior to us moving in had suffered a fire. Like many of the houses on the block, the neighbor’s house had a downstairs area, a level too designed and built to be called a basement, a ground floor level where the dining room, living room and galley kitchen were located, a third level where the bedrooms were located, and a large attic; pretty much a fourth floor. The neighbors were undone by a house fire. The happening of the fire was untimely, inasmuch as they had just readied the house for sale. The attic was destroyed. Undone, and untimely, but as they were forced to re-do the house, they experienced an unrealized blessing. As they rebuilt the house, they converted the area into a full basketball court. Their boys had to be ecstatic. and their elation could not be easily hidden. By the way, neither could the sound of the bouncing ball as the boys took advantage of the unexpected blessing.
Listen! If you have had an experience that has left you, undone. If you have given up on some dreams because of untimely circumstances in your life. Let me throw in a couple of more words that starts with “U.” If you have been unresponsive to what God has told you to do. If you have been unconscious of the fact that all things work together for God for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose; if your dreams seem to be undone by untimely things, you keep looking ahead for your unrealized blessing(s). It may be for you, or as in the case of Jonah, it may be unrealized blessing for others that happen because of your obedience, your steadfastness, and your continuing trust in the Lord. Look ahead to the unrealized blessing(s)! Be optimistic! Express your hope! Exalt God in praise and express some advanced thanksgiving to the Lord for what He shall do in your life! Shout with joy for your salvation! You see, for believers, as my mother taught, “better” is always ahead. Have a wonderful Friday and I will be in touch, Lord willing, tomorrow. Be blessed!
“Perhaps it takes a purer faith to praise God for unrealized blessings than for those we once enjoyed or those we enjoy now.” ―(A.W. Tozer Quote)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King