Fri 26th Mar 2021 - Daily Reading: Jonah 1
Lockdown Learning – Jonah by Becky Brooks
Jonah’s lockdown period was short, but harsh! He may only have been in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights, but it was long enough to profoundly change the course of his life.
Of course, Jonah only found himself in this terrible predicament because he had attempted to run away from the Lord. Once the fish vomited him on to dry land, he found the Lord was right there, and he had not changed his mind at all: he still wanted Jonah to go to Nineveh.
In some ways, our national lockdown has put parts of our lives on hold, and this might include problems we were facing before. Got an issue with a colleague at work? No problem if you are now working from home. Unresolved argument with a family member? No problem if you can’t visit them anyway. Struggling to prioritise your time? Lockdown does wonders for clearing your diary. Avoiding a call that God has placed on your life? Well, you can’t be expected to do whatever he asked you to do during a lockdown!
Unfortunately, as Jonah found, there’s a chance that problems we’ve put to one side during lockdown might be right there waiting for us when lockdown ends. And even if it’s not those same problems, there will be more. There are always problems and challenges to face.
The good news is that we don’t face our problems alone, and we don’t face them ill-equipped. God’s divine power has already given us everything we need for life and for godliness (2 Peter 1:3) and the armour of God ensures that we are fully equipped for any challenge we might face (Ephesians 6 – notice that there is no protection for our backs!).
If it is a call from the Lord that is making us want to bury our head in the sand, then Jonah’s story reminds us that God equips and anoints us and goes ahead of us. We do not walk alone when we walk in God’s way.
If the thought of lockdown ending is filling you with despair at having to face all the problems that have been shelved for the past few months, then may the Lord strengthen you and uphold you, and give you his wisdom and his discernment as you put on the full armour and prepare to set out in his name.