And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain
the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone am escaped to tell you. – Job 1:15
Jonah is a unique prophet; that much we have observed throughout this
week. But he seems to be also one-of-a-kind in a literal sense of the word.
Elijah was undoubtedly one of the greatest prophets of Israel; but one
day, his achievements apparently went to his head. When Jezebel tried to kill
him, he brashly cried out, “ It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than
my fathers.” (1Ki 19:4)
When the LORD inquired of him, he
replied, TWICE “I have been absolutely loyal to the LORD, the sovereign God,
even though the Israelites have abandoned the agreement they made with you, torn
down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left
and now they want to take my life.” (1Ki 19:10, 14 NET).
In response, the LORD instructed him to anoint 3 persons, one of whom
would be his successor. And as a subtle rebuke, told him there were 7,000 other
men who were also faithful like him: he was NOT the only one.
Compare the LORD’s response to Elijah with that of Jonah. When God sent
Jonah, he didn’t even respond but went in the opposite direction. But observe
that the LORD didn’t turn to the remnant “7,000” that was undoubtedly always available
to be sent. Instead, the LORD went through hell and high water (“sheol” and “floods”) to make sure Jonah was available
to do the job (Jon 2:2,3).
I call this phenomenon, the Jonah Grace or the Jonah Anointing.
It is the grace of being irreplaceable no matter what because of the unique favour
you have in God’s sight.
Jonah should have been dead after been thrown into the sea; but a whale swallowed
him, and deposited him at the shores of Nineveh. Why? Because he had a message
to deliver.
Even Satan, in a twisted way, showed this principle when he destroyed all
of Job’s resources, (Job 1:13-19). We observe that no matter the level of
devastation and carnage, there was always one servant that was spared. Because
that servant had a message to deliver, no evil could touch him (Job
1:15,16,17,19).
Beloved, the work of God in your hands will not be cut short in Jesus
name. Regardless of the storms and the raging all around you, the LORD Himself
shall preserve you. You shall not die, but live, and declare the works of
the LORD (Ps 117:18). You shall not be dumped halfway; you shall remain
relevant to your generation and even much longer in Jesus name.
You shall stand out among your peers the way Jonah stands out from amidst
an obscure part of the Bible.
You’re not a general worker in God’s vineyard, you’re a special
one-of-a-kind Jonah; and your message, no matter how brief it is, will
be heeded to by nations.
AMEN.
More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus Name.
GREG ELKAN
No comments:
Post a Comment