Second Breath

As we look at the close of the 2nd chapter of Jonah we see that God has ordered the fish to “spit up Jonah on the beach.”  Following what may have been an amazing scene, Jonah receives his calling from the Lord for a second time.  It is at this point that Jonah hears God’s voice in a new a fresh way.  God once again calls him to, “go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message of judgment I have given you.”  This time Jonah obeys the call of God and makes his way to Nineveh.  Once Jonah makes it there we see that his ministry is successful.  Just like Jonah the city of Nineveh takes a step back and hears the call of the Lord.  They once again call on the mercies of the Lord.  The same mercies that they had turned their backs to while worshipping their false gods.  This process for the king and for many of us takes a stepping down, see verse 3:6, “When the king of Nineveh heard what Jonah was saying, he stepped down from his throne and took off his royal robes.”  When we once again place God on the throne of our hearts we are placing Him not only in the proper place of honor but we are also placing ourselves in the proper place of service.  God’s call on our lives is too important for us to be derailed by the entanglements of this life that we all struggle to overcome.  For this reason I believe that we all have the opportunity and the responsibility to be in close fellowship with one another so that God’s call is not neglected in our lives.  For Jonah it was a trip to Nineveh, for us it is a commitment to regular fellowship with other believers, it’s eating lunch with someone you need to be an encouragement to.  It’s going the extra mile when the first may have seemed to tough to complete in the first place.  This week may we hear God’s call on our lives with a new clarity and commitment and step down from the throne and place God back in His place of honor.