Dad's Ramblings -- God Is There

"And he said, 'I cried out to the LORD because of my affliction, and He answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and You heard my voice.' "
 
                                                                        Jonah 1:3
 
God hears me when I cry out to Him in my distress. Even when it is self-inflicted – because of my own rotten choices – He does not turn a deaf ear. He is a gracious God Who has promised to not forsake me – ever (Hebrews 13:5).
 
Today's Thought: God is a present help in the time of trouble (Psalm 46:1).
 
Have a God-present day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Crying Out To God

"Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the fish's belly."
 
                                                                         Jonah 1:17-2:1
 
"Then" is a telling word. It is a symptom of a disease that is common to man. It is the malady of stubbornness. We wait until things get really bad before we ask for help because "I can handle it." Why didn't Jonah pray to the LORD before he ended up in the stinking intestines of a fish? He had already been through a hurricane. That should have been enough. Now alone in the darkness in the putrid, rotting stuff, he has time to wrestle with his own stubborn heart. The prodigal son had a similar experience. He had been living high on the hog, but when things got really bad and he had to slop the hogs, he "came to himself" (Luke 15:17). Who needs God when things are going well? David also experienced this. "Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire" (Psalm 69:1-2). Why do we wait until we are in hot water up to our neck and are sinking? What does it take to make me cry out to God? The first hint of trouble should make me turn to Him. Maybe if I seek Him today, I can avoid some of the struggles of the pit.
 
Today's Thought: The wise man cries out to God before he reaches the bottom of the barrel.
 
Have a "crying out" day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- God Does What He Pleases

"Therefore they cried out to the LORD and said, 'We pray, O LORD, please do not let us perish for this man's life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O LORD. have done as it pleased You.' So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the LORD and took vows."
 
                                                                                   Jonah 1:14-16
 
These pagan sailors began by praying to their gods (vs. 5) and ended up believing in the true God. Yahweh is mentioned 5 times in these verses. God does what He pleases, and in His divine will, He used Jonah's rebellion to bring sinners to faith. His will is that no one should perish but that everyone would come to repentance (II Peter 3:9). These men would probably never have believed in Yahweh if Jonah had not been there. What an awesome God. He can even use my bumbling mistakes to accomplish His will. It is about Him, not me.
 
Today's Thought: God accomplishes His will, even using our mistakes.
 
Have a faith-filled day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Living Humbly Before God

"And he said to them, 'Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me.' Nevertheless the men rowed hard to return to land, but they could not, for the sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them. Therefore they cried out to the LORD...."
 
                                                                        Jonah 1:12-14a
 
Jonah, the prophet – what a great man of God!?!? One would think that Jonah would be on his knees crying out to God in repentance and asking God to deliver him from the storm. But not Jonah. Nowhere in Chapter One is there even a hint of humbling himself before God, even though he acknowledges that he is responsible for the trouble. He would rather die than repent. The heathen sailors prayed to Jonah's God before Jonah did because they knew how serious the problem was. It was not until Jonah was in the belly of the great fish that he finally cried out to God (2:2). Sometimes people who have walked with God for many years become proud and hardened in their spirits and think they are so spiritual that they don't need to repent, even though the storms caused by their disobedience rage around them. They have to get to the bottom of the pit before they finally throw themselves on God's mercy. How much better to live humbly before God and avoid the storms.
 
Today's Thought: A humble heart lives in repentance.
 
Have a humble day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- The Ripple Effect

"Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, 'Why have you done this?' For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. Then the said to him, 'What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?' – for the sea was growing more tempestuous."
 
                                                                           Jonah 1:10-11
 
The sailors were suffering through the storm caused by Jonah's disobedience long before he told them. Sin causes tempests, not only in the life of the sinner, but in the lives of those around him.  It is a myth to think that I can sin secretly and no one else will be affected. Sin causes a ripple effect that touches those around me, even though they may not know the cause. I am not an island living only to myself. The consequences of my sin reach far beyond my personal life to my family, friends, and society.  The disobedience may be done in a hidden place, like an earthquake far below the surface where no one can see, but the devastation caused by the shaking and tsunami will cause havoc hundreds or thousands of miles.
 
Today's Thought: Secret, personal sin has consequences far beyond my own life.
 
Have a "tsunami alert" day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Walking the Talk

"So he said to them, 'I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.' "
 
                                                                          Jonah 1:9
Jonah and I are a lot alike. Jonah's confession and the way he lived were inconsistent. To say he feared God – the Creator – and then live in disobedience demonstrates the gap between "talking the walk and walking the talk." How much like me. I do love and fear the Lord, the Creator and God of heaven.  But my life is filled with inconsistencies.  There are a lot of times my witness does not match my actions.  I'm so thankful for the grace of God.
 
Today's Thought: Actions need to match speech.
 
Have a consistent day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Judging or Loving?

"Then they said to him, 'Please tell us. For whose cause is this trouble upon us? And what is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you.' "
 
                                                                                   Jonah 1:8
 
In a different context, I find myself judging people, especially troublemakers, by asking these same questions. "What do you do for a living?" (as though a professor is more honorable than a house-painter). "What is your nationality, race and religion?" (as though a WASP is better than an African jungle native or a Muslim). I just finished reading Arthur Blessitt's book, "The Cross," which tells the story of his journeys around the world. For over 38 years he carried a wooden cross in every nation on earth. He has ministered to presidents and peasants, terrorists and rebels. He does not judge people based on their religion or race. Rather, he sees them as God's creation for whom Jesus died on the cross and who need to know Jesus loves them. Judging people builds walls that keep us from loving them. Oh, Jesus, change my heart to love people as those for whom you died instead of judging them by external perceptions.
 
Today's Thought: Judging people builds walls that keep us from loving them as God does.
 
Have a loving day. Love you.