Jonah 1:1-3 

1 The Lord said to Jonah son of Amittai, 2 “Go immediately to Nineveh, that large capital city,

and announce judgment against its people because their wickedness has come to my attention.” 

3 Instead, Jonah immediately headed off to Tarshish to escape from the commission of the Lord.

He traveled to Joppa and found a merchant ship heading to Tarshish. So he paid the fare

and went aboard it to go with them to Tarshish far away from the Lord.

 

Jonah 2:1-4 N

2 1 Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the stomach of the fish 2 and said,

“I called out to the Lord from my distress, and he answered me;
from the belly of Sheol I cried out for help, and you heard my prayer.
3 You threw me into the deep waters, into the middle of the sea;
the ocean current engulfed me; all the mighty waves you sent swept over me.
4 I thought I had been banished from your sight, that I would never again see your holy temple!

 

 

Advance

 

Jonah 1:3 (2:4) “Unless we advance by faith”, we shall flee to Tarsish.

 

Job 13:15 “if He slay me I will trust Him”

 

To exercise courage and to be counted faithful

to be so determined ... that nothing seems strange.

To walk through the furnace ... white hot and frightful

how can it be ... with all of us in range?

 

All things are possible ... do we really believe this?

Showing no pity or love ... but only for our own

No trust in what is seen or felt ... in safety and security

only the action of others ... as we travel all alone.

 

Exploring by faith ... the unseen and unfelt

and step out in confidence on untrodden ground.

In such show trust in the Lord and His Word

without dependence on natural sounds.

 

In the Hand of the Lord ignoring all feelings

not even pursuing a little touch of joy.

Just to move by faith ... not needing any crutches

of wonderful sensations to which flesh clings. Ahoy!

 

This state we should reach ... without help from feelings.

For when weak in spirit ... intuition is replaced

by ways of emotion ... which then employ

one’s own ways of thinking through man’s grace.

 

It requires faith ... to be led by the Spirit.

and this is mostly contrary to the way I feel.

It is the only way to serve ... God and inherit

the trades Jesus lived ... a misunderstood appeal.

 

Jan Wienen