I have a one-year-old daughter, she is the apple of my eye, I love her, and I talk about her all the time. Now being a one-year-old she has started walking and moving all around the house; however, she is sometimes unaware of the dangers there can be. For example, as I was preparing dinner one night, I put the oven on, now obviously to me and you we realise that the oven gets increasingly warm, not my daughter. As I turn around I see she is about to put her hands on the warm oven, what do I do? As a good father do I let her continue to do what she wants? Encourage her even? No of course not. I remove her from that danger, and I correct her in the hopes that she begins to learn and be aware of the danger.
We are all a little bit like my daughter.
When I think of our relationship with God, I have the same level of understanding as my daughter and God is a much greater version of me, a good, good father when he corrects his children when they go down the wrong path.
Please read Jonah 1:1-3
God demonstrates how he corrects us when we stray in this story of Jonah.
- Jonah Heard the Voice of God
“Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of the Amittai, saying ‘Arise, go to Nineveh…”
Jonah 1:1-2a
Jonah heard the voice of God, he had a relationship with God, he hears God speaking to him, but he didn’t listen.
- Jonah did not listen
“But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.”
Jonah 1:3a
Jonah thought his ways were better than God’s ways. That he knew better than the one who created him.
We can often push God to the side, thinking we know best, we reach a certain age, reach a certain level of understanding and try to tell God we have it covered. And when we do this we will receive that correction from God because he does know what is best, and as a good father he will remind us of that.
He will remind us who he is and who I am. He is the king of kings, the Lord of Lords and the creator of this world. And me, made from dust but loved ever so deeply. Loved so much but not with much understanding, God has to sometimes step in and correct us.
- God corrected Jonah
In this story, God could have very easily wiped-out Jonah for his disobedience but his love, grace and mercy is evident the whole way through.
God’s voice corrects us when we stray. He knows more than me and you. We must listen out to that at all times.
Written by Simon Barr
