Jonah 1:3 “But Jonah got up and went the other direction to Tarshish, running away from God. He went down to the port of Joppa and found a ship headed for Tarshish. He paid the fare and went on board, joining those going to Tarshish—as far away from God as he could get.” (MSG)
Life used to be busy for me. Work, appointments, practices, church, family and on and on..now things are different because of COVID-19 and my life has slowed down as I’m sure it has for many people. It may leave some people feeling empty because they don’t have the busyness to fill the void in their lives.
I know I have had to adjust to this different change of pace. You can view it as a curse or view it as a blessing and try to make the most out of it.
Jonah ran from God. We all know the story. He said no to God and got swallowed by a whale. Whatever you are facing may seem as big as a whale. It could be loneliness, depression, sickness, or fear. Those are big problems. Just like Jonah’s whale. Jonah could have spent his time trying to find a way out of the whale or waiting at the mouth for the perfect opening. He decided instead to pray, which is what he should have been doing in the first place. He was alone in a whale, but he wasn’t alone. God was there.
Jonah 2:2 “In my distress I called to the Lord,
and he answered me.
From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help,
and you listened to my cry.”(NIV)
He prayed and God delivered him from the whale.
Mark 4:34 says (speaking about Jesus) ”He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.”(NIV) To me, this means that the ones closest to him got more of an answer about what he was saying. They took the time to spend time with him and could ask questions.
When we stop, pray and listen we can get answers. If we fill the void with stuff, similarly we will get stuff back, but if we fill the void with prayers of petition, intercession and thanksgiving, worship, and scripture. We will get blessings in return.
Do you feel alone? Are you dealing with loneliness and unworthiness? Get close to the one who will never leave you alone. Get close to the one who calls you “holy and blameless in his sight.” Ephesians 1:4 (NIV)
Feeling lonely? Use your alone time to draw near to God. You won’t regret it.
