The book of Jonah is a fascinating story. The narrative is short and to the point, yet jam-packed with drama and an epic showcase of God’s sovereignty, patience, and mercy. When we think of Jonah, we immediately think of the storm, the whale, or the rotten attitude Jonah has while sitting under his beloved plant outside the city of Nineveh. Yet, the story of Jonah is less about Jonah and more about God. Here in Jonah 1:1–3 we meet a God who speaks with unmistakable authority: “The word of the LORD came to Jonah.” This is not a suggestion, a hunch, or a private feeling—it is the sovereign God of the universe commissioning His servant for His redemptive purposes. God sends Jonah to Nineveh not to destroy but to call a violent and wicked people to repentance before judgment befalls them. Yet Jonah infamously runs away, boarding a ship for Tarshish in the opposite direction. His flight exposes a tension we all know well. When God’s will contradicts our feelings or even our theology, we often hesitate or struggle to respond in faith and obedience. Jonah cannot square a merciful God with a cruel enemy, so instead of trusting God’s heart, he runs from God’s command. But even in Jonah’s disobedience, the mercy of God is quietly at work. What we should immediately acknowledge is that the Lord does not abandon Jonah to his rebellion. Rather, He pursues him, not to crush him, but to restore him and to use him for something far greater than Jonah can imagine. This opening passage gently but firmly calls us to trust God when His ways don’t fit our neatly packaged worldview. Like Jonah, we may struggle to understand why God leads us into uncomfortable obedience, but when God calls us to go where we would rather not, we are invited to lay down our limited knowledge and rest in His sovereign authority, confident that His purposes are always just—and more merciful—than our own. – Pastor Nate
Sunday at Liberty
9AM: BTH–Spending–Ephesians 5:15-17
10AM: Pastor Nate–The Prodigal Prophet–Jonah 1:1-3 (sermon notes)
No Evening Gathering