But the Lord said,
"You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend to it or make it grow.
It sprang up overnight and died overnight."
Jonah 4:10
This is a great scripture. God is so good at pointing out the obvious in my life. I haven't tended to what He has given me.
Over the past year and a half my spiritual life has grown in leaps and bounds. It started with Pastor asking me to give my testimony. I was nervous and afraid. There is no way I could do it not to mention I never imagined anyone would want to hear from me. I just get up everyday and accept what the day brings me and get through it. I obeyed God's calling and agreed whole heartedly to face my fears and uncertainty because God told me to do it. It was very freeing and opened a new world. Just by being obedient I grew and grew. It seemed as though every day I was growing closer to the Lord. I was receiving huge spiritual gifts daily. For the most part I fought them. I knew they were there but used the excuse of not being worthy or not understanding what He wanted from me.
24 Hour prayer in May 2011 changed me forever. I was called to the altar and God showed me exactly what I needed to do. Then I went privately to pray with a small group of God Fearing wonderful men and woman..I was slayed by the spirit. I said YES YES YES and He released bountiful gifts on me. There is no way to explain the joy, peace and contentment. For some time I walked in that peace but somewhere reached a fork in the road and started wandering away and not tending to my vine. The vine that God sprouted up just for me, to cover and shield me. I let it begin to wither away.
Jonah's story is touching my life today. The book of Jonah shows that God loves the whole world. As a matter of fact Jonah means dove. Dove is one of the only animals that lives EVERYWHERE in the world. I think his story applies to me and my life but I also think at one point or another to varying degrees it applies to all of our lives. Now matter who you are or where on earth you live.
Jonah was told by God very specifically where to go and what to do, but he ran away. Disobeying God he went in the opposite direction of where he was told to go. The Lord shook his world letting him know that he can't run away from God. The Lord shook Jonah's world so strongly that a pagan called Johan to prayer. Jonah freely admitted that it was his choice to disobey that caused his world to be shaken. His world shook and shook until there was no choice but to go back to the Lord. He was thrown into a raging sea. But in that sea, God provided protection.
It is amazing to me that even in walking away from God, He will continue to work for His glory. The men on the ship believed that this was God creating this raging sea. They were shown God's great power and accepted Him as the true God and agreed to throw Jonah into the sea. Jonah was in the middle of a horrible storm caused by walking away from God's directions and was given safety. "The Lord PROVIDED a great fish to swallow Jonah".
When I walked in the wrong direction He threw me into a storm. The storm was in my heart, an emotional storm. There is not a day that I stopped loving or trusting Him, I just wasn't working on the relationship He wants for me. I was not using the gifts He so generously gave me. He wants me, He wants all of us, to work for His glory. I put everything before Him. Today I pray the same prayer as Jonah:
"...When my life was ebbing away,
I remembered you, Lord,
and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple."
"Those who cling to worthless idols
forfeit the grace that could be theirs.
But I, with a song of thanksgiving,
will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good.
Salvation comes from the Lord."
Thank you God for throwing me into the storming sea! It is not going to be an easy road but it is one I will travel with great joy and anticipation.
Love it girl! Great insight, and amazing what God will do when we ask!
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