Have you ever asked God, “What is Your will for my life?”  Many of us have prayed for God to show us His will.  Some of us have had clear direction and maybe even a defining moment of truth, when we knew exactly what God’s will was.  For others of us, God’s will may have been revealed in other, less profound ways.  Some of us may still be searching.

In the Old Testament (Jonah, chapters 1-4), we read about a man named Jonah, who was clearly challenged to move beyond what he thought were his own capabilities.  God told Jonah to go to Nineveh and proclaim the message of God to that city (1:2). Jonah was scared at the thought of going to Nineveh. He knew that there was no love lost between the pagans of Nineveh in Assyria and the descendants of Abraham, the Jews. He knew that the Ninevites could possibly torture him to death!  Jonah’s reaction to God’s command was to flee to Tarshish.  The Scripture relates that Jonah was swallowed by a large fish and three days later was ejected onto dry land.  It was then that Jonah set out for Nineveh, armed with God’s message!  Nineveh was such a large city, that it took three days to walk across.  Surprisingly, after Jonah had only been walking across the city a single day, proclaiming God’s message, the people of Nineveh repented, and God spared them!

Although, at first, Jonah was reluctant to go, because of his missionary journey, an entire city was reconciled to God (vss. 1-10)!  God had sent the Holy Spirit ahead of Jonah to prepare the hearts of the Ninevites!

God’s call often requires us to move out of our safety zone and sometimes even to dramatically change direction.   Often, it is not easy to follow God’s call. But, God is simply looking for our willingness. He will provide the power to accomplish far more than all we could ask or imagine, by the Holy Spirit at work within us (Ephesians 3:20)!