"Jonah started into the city, going a day’s journey, and he proclaimed: ‘Forty more days and Nineveh will be destroyed.’ The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth." (Jonah 3:4-5 NIV)
We need not fear the task that God gives us. He is sure to send the Holy Spirit, ahead of time, to prepare the hearts of those who will be listening. Here in Nineveh, a wicked city, hearts were prepared to listen to a message of doom and destruction. The Ninevites were convicted in their hearts and chose to believe that God would do exactly as He said He would.
They chose to fast, to give up everyday things, so they could pray, seek God’s face, and turn from their evil ways. They were truly humble in looking to God for mercy, and they prayed earnestly for His forgiveness. They immediately responded to the message of God and repented. Prophets had been preaching for years in Israel and they did not turn back to God, but one message in Nineveh brought about national revival. Their hearts were open and receptive. They believed God the first time they heard the message, "Repent," whereas Jonah ran the first time God spoke to him about preaching to the Ninevites.
How are you at hearing and obeying the words of God? Are you like Jonah and sometimes it takes a second chance, with a hard lesson, before you are willing to obey, or is your heart open and ready to receive the word of God at any time?
Every day that you awaken is a second chance from God. Psalm 86:3 says, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long." His mercy is available to you every time you call. It does not matter if it took a long, hard lesson to get you to the point of obedience, or if you were ready to surrender the first time you heard the voice of God. What matters is that your heart is receptive to hearing and obeying. Verse six of Psalm 86 says our Lord is ". . . abounding in love to all who call . . ." God will not turn from a receptive heart. Thank you, Lord!
"But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness." (Psalm 86:15 NIV)
Jo