Can you see it in the photo above? That His love is drawn by Him in the clouds and the tint is the colour of His Blood! Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.”
Let’s recap based on Jonah we’ve looked at – Who’s our Trust in? What’s our view of God? Are we led by and giving mercy, forgiveness, and grace out?
Our compass, reference point recalibrated each time, we go to God and ask what are You saying here? What Is Your will here?
Exactly what Jesus did, modelled for us, and how He prayed.
The Lord’s Prayer
Matthew 6:9-13 TPT
“Our Beloved Father, dwelling in the heavenly realms, may the glory of Your name be the centre on which our lives turn.
Manifest your kingdom realm, and cause Your every purpose to be fulfilled on earth,
just as it is in heaven.
We acknowledge You as our Provider of all we need each day
Forgive us the wrongs we have doneas we ourselves release forgiveness to those who have wronged us.
Rescue us every time we face tribulation and set us free from evil
For You are the King who rules with power and glory forever. Amen”
Did you see it? Jesus knew the place we always start and reset from is: Recognizing, Honoring and Acknowledging the Presence of God in our lives, who the Father is.
Jesus built up His faith interacting, connecting, and communicating with God before going out to do the Father’s will. He filled up in Him before going out and being social with others! Are we doing the same? It will look different for us all, but could be starting the day with quiet time coffee with Jesus, drawing together, soaking in worship music whatever it is, the key is Honoring the Presence of God at the start of our days!
Once we know what the Father is saying Jeremiah 1:10 “Then the Lord reached out His hand, touched my mouth, and said to me: Behold I have put My words in your mouth. See I have appointed you today over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to BUILD and PLANT. .. Jeremiah what do you see?
God’s hand is reached out to us His children, in love, authority, and commissioning to build with Him, His way, at home, in business, in ministry –the Hand of the King is extended in favour to you – like Esther and Nehemiah experienced, you have the ear of the King of Kings, Wow!
God has touched our mouths and put His words into our mouth, He has appointed us to be His speaker, spokesperson for The Kingdom of God whoever we are with, wherever we go ‘to speak Jesus’ and put love into action with words and truth.
Words, are you a wordsmith? These are so important to God, how and what we speak to ourselves, loved ones, those around us, about situations we see or are in. “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” Is not God at all.. ask Him about it.
Here’s a few verses to selah over.
Ephesians 4:29 “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear”
Proverbs 18:4 “A person’s words can be life giving words, words of true wisdom are as refreshing as a bubbling brook.”
Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”
Gardening, are you a gardener? I’ve become one and love it, but before I could love it, I needed to know what season I am in. Is it one of preparing, in the uprooting and tearing out weeds? Or is it one of sowing and planting seeds, building the garden? Ask God for a picture or word of what your garden looks like?
We know the Gardening process, requires us to FIRST PREPARE before we PLANT and WAIT Time for GROWTH and FRUIT. God is the same, He wants to prepare us before He can Plant with us, and wait with us for the FRUIT to come. We have a job and He has a job.
Jonah paused in the whale, his hand was forced, he was put in rest, just like us in lockdown, on pause he heard God’s heart and yielded in surrender to forgiveness. Yet once outside back in the community and on land, he forged ahead not checking in to see if God’s word to him was still the same as he believed it to be.
Jonah judged the people, the situation and the answer as decided, firm in his mind, before holding it up to God, and, waiting, seeking, and praying for what God would have Him do and say. Do we do the same?
Thankfully God always has a plan according to Jeremiah 29:11-13, which is always fulfilled, by His grace and mercy freely and lavishly piled out for all who ask.
Love in Free will saved the Ninevite people they had the ‘aha’ moment like Saul did on the road to Damascus, like I did many years ago and you too.
Holy Spirit unveiled, revealed, unblinded, unhardened and softened them and they saw how they were, what they were doing and how were living? They saw they were far from God and ran towards His open arms, I was the same as were you.
Which caused them to repent (do a 180 turn) in words, action, belief, and choose to put the fruit in their hand, back on the Tree of Life and ‘embrace a new way in New level of freedom as sons and daughters of God’. Hallelujah time!
But Jonah stayed stuck and unable to change, putting the fruit back on the tree of Knowledge. How often do we do that? And still Holy Spirit gently persists in wooing and cheering us to know God and His ways deeper.
Let’s pause the story there and pick it up next time with Jonah
Challenge time: Grab your journal and record the answers the Lord gives you.
1. Father do I know Your will, and am I allowing it to lead me in every area of my life?
2. Holy Spirit is there a realigning needed of our words spoken? And Would you show us at home, to others or about situations the words we are using?
3. What tools are available for the season You’ve said I’m in? Are there any you want me to put down, so I can pick the more effective ones up?
4. Let’s declare ‘I Speak Jesus’ daily in truth and song,
Father God, thank You that Your will is to Speak Jesus to, over and in us, and for us to Speak Jesus to those around us. Holy Spirit would You show us who and how to live Your will out, to those around us, so we can love like You do. In Jesus name. Amen.
Paula Blackie. Editor/Author Encounter Ministries
