Worth Repeating - October 5, 2017

Jonah 3: 10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened. (NIV)

We are living in the time of God’s patience.*

We don’t know exactly what Jonah said to Nineveh except that it was the message God had given him. The gist of his sermon was: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.” (3: 4) When the king heard the news, he made repentance a royal law. And God took note.

It is doubtful that every single person in Nineveh turned from their wickedness to follow God’s way. Of those who did repent, how many of them eventually returned to their former way of life? God knew what each one of them would do as soon as the crisis was past; and he knew the state of each person’s heart as they fasted in sackcloth and ashes. But what they did was enough for God to have compassion on everyone – including those who were just going through the motions in order to comply with the law.

Could nationwide repentance be the deliverance of our country? Is there a Jonah out there who can come and preach to our nation? Is there a leader in our future who believes we are in as much danger as Nineveh was? “You can’t legislate morality,” you might protest. The king of Nineveh probably knew that. But repentant leaders can set an example, pass laws that uphold godly principles, and avert God’s wrath for the sake of the righteous.

Pray for our nation. Ask God for a messenger to preach repentance. Plead for leaders who understand that his patience has an expiration date. And pray that God will prepare you to carry the message of repentance. Whether to an audience of one or to a multitude, proclaim the message God gives you.

We rescue our great nation not through systems but by systematically changing lives, one at a time.*