Last week, in our Precept couples study, our discussion was so GREAT!
We were digging into the first book of Jonah, and althought I had done my homework, to a degree that I thought was very thorough, I was amazed by all that I had missed.
Yes, I had marked the key words. Yes, I had made the lists...
But, OH MY GOODNESS!
When the men in our group started talking about how they had used the 5Ws and an H to interrogate the Scripture, and then shared what they had seen...I was blown away by all that I had missed!
I love how God crafted men and women differently, and that his perfect design goes all the way to how we think, how we see things.
I've never been in a co-ed Precept class before, and I have to say, I love this one!
Of all the times that I had studied Jonah, I never before saw that the sailors on that boat headed for Tarshish, ended up making a sacrifice and pledging a vow to Jehova Elohim.
Yet, that's exactly what they did!
They had cried out to their own gods, which did nothing for them.
Then Jonah finally identified himself as a Hebrew, and said that he feared Jehova Elohim. So, then the sailors sought Jonah's wisdom on how to make the sea calm again.
Finally, they did as Jonah told them to do..and the Word says they, "Called on the LORD" and prayed to Him.
Amazing, isn't it?!
Even in the midst of one of God's own walking in total disobedience to Him, God was still glorified in the lives of some men who were lost in idol worship.
God showed Himself Supreme, and as a result, these men worshipped Him.
The other thing that was of huge note, was to see that Jonah went DIRECTLY OPPOSITE of where God called him to go.
You can see it on a map.
Gotta go. Doorbell.
More later.
3 comments:
Hi Jes! This is kinda sorta off topic from your post, but when you were talking about how the sailors recognized Jonah's God, it made me think of something I read online today. An anonymous person posted this:
"I've always said I don't believe in God. I'm 21 years old and have NEVER prayed a day in my life. Today, I prayed for the victims at Virginia Tech and their families."
I just find it interesting how God can use times of great trial (i.e. violent storms threatening the lives of the sailors, or the tragedy in Virgina) to reach people.
Davina,
Ok..first, I gotta ask, is that picture a self-portrait? It's beautiful!
Now..to comment...I agree totally with what you said. It's interesting, because the other day, the kids and I were in the car and heard on Christian radio that many pastors and churches were going to be on the Virginia Tech campus to pray with and talk with students and faculty.
Caedmon yells, "See Mommy! The people who died WERE all Christians!".
I just started to cry. The harder I tried not to, the faster the tears flowed.
I found myself in a situation of having to explain to a 6 year old and 4 year old how tragedies like the one at Virginia Tech can be used to God's glory.
And, I had to tell him that the likelyhood is that they weren't all Christians.
I explained, "Caedmon, sadly enough our college campuses are some of the places that people work the hardest to keep God out. Even many of our seminaries have turned from teaching the full counsel of God's Word, to mixing God's Word with the world's way of thinking."
I went on to say, "It's through tragedies like this that people often realize their need for God. And, praise God, many of the Christians in that area are banding together to reach the lost...right in the middle of their pain. That's what Jesus did, Caedmon. He reached out to hurting people and showed them His love, and cared for them, and told them the truth, and gave them an invitation to follow Him."
It was a hard discussion to have with a 6 year old, but truth be known, Caedmon has an ability to discern the spiritual in a way I haven't seen in kids his age.
I often wonder what God has in store for him, and hope and pray that the way that we're parenting him will prepare him for God's great call on his life.
To answer your question - no, it's not a self-portrait. (I wish I could say it was! :P ) It's a close up of an illustration of Alice, from Alice in Wonderland, by one of my favorite artists, Arthur Rackham.
Here's a link to the full size picture.
http://www.humanitiesweb.org/gallery/106/3a.jpg
Sounds like that was a hard discussion to have, but I'm so proud of you, that you were honest and brave to discuss it with them.
You said, "our college campuses are some of the places that people work the hardest to keep God out." That's so true, and I think, it's one of the reasons Shawn is working towards changing his career to become a professor.
It's also why we appreciate Ravi Zacharias and his ministry - they go onto college campuses around the world (sometimes in very unfriendly settings) and have debates with professors and answer student's tough questions, at a time and place where a young adult's values are being challenged, confused etc.
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