Dear friend,
“I AM JONAH!”
Just a few Sundays ago, those words echoed through the SoulCare Room at Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas. I had just finished preaching one of the messages from the series you’re hearing on the air this month—Jonah: The Reluctant Prophet. Something miraculous happened as the Word of God went out across the sanctuary. It’s incredible every time it happens, and yet it’s not rare. In fact, wherever the Word is taught with accuracy, clarity, and compassion, it’s the norm.
I’m talking about the life-change that happens when God’s two-edged sword cuts “through soul and spirit, joint and marrow” to “expose our innermost thoughts and desires” and begin a transformation in our hearts (Hebrews 4:12).
As I preached that Sunday, God used His Word to reveal to one woman in the congregation whom she had been...and whom she wanted to be. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she confessed, “I’ve been just like Jonah—self-centred, rebellious, and arrogant.” She prayed with one of our trained volunteers, asking the Lord to soften her heart and fill it with gratitude that overflows into joyful obedience.
Have you had an “I AM JONAH!” moment? For that woman, it was Jonah, God’s reluctant prophet. He’d been swallowed up by a big fish, prayed for rescue in its belly, and received it...he’d seen a miraculous revival happen among an evil people, and when he later sulked in self-pity, God blessed him anyway with a shade tree...he’d heard directly from God of His great love for all, and yet that stubborn prophet hated the Ninevites so much that he longed for death. As far as we know, that pouting prophet never “got it.”
The name in your “ah-ha” moment might be another biblical character. Perhaps Peter with his zeal that couldn’t pass the test...Gideon with his fearful heart...David with his lustful eye...Moses with his fed-up fit. Maybe it wasn’t a testimony at all. For you, it could have been a passage from the Psalms or a statement from one of Paul’s letters. Whatever it was, you’ll never forget the first time God used His Word to cut through to your heart.
If you’re like me, those moments will never stop.
That’s why I love preaching! It’s also why I love Insight for Living Canada’s mission to take God’s Word to all Canadians! The Word of God is more powerful than anything you or I could ever create. Since it is the KEY to changing Canada and our world, it must be proclaimed and explained!
If you believe that’s true, if you’ve been transformed by God’s Word, if you want to see Canada and our world truly change, I urge you to join our mission. Send a generous financial gift to Insight for Living Canada today!
Please also ask the Lord about becoming one of our Monthly Partners who give automated gifts every month to ensure God’s Word continues to reach and then to teach those who need it.
Pray earnestly for God’s Word to go forth. When you do, I promise you this: the results will astound you.
Standing on the promises of God’s Word,
Charles R. Swindoll
