Her Faith Thrives

Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD! Jonah 2:8-9 (ESV)

This side of heaven there is often a disconnect between the life we want and the life we have.  This shows up in varying degrees in all seasons of our lives.  It ranges from minor annoyances in an otherwise smooth season to complete upheaval. The season of singleness that has lasted too long, the marriage that is much more challenging than you expected, the job you don’t like but you are still doing, the friends who don’t really know you, the family you are estranged from. 

There is no shortage of difficult and disappointing circumstances that we need to find our way through. So what do we do when the life we have is not the life we want? How do we thrive in our faith and steward this life well despite its disappointments and difficulties? How do we bear good fruit in seasons that are so withering?

The book of Jonah highlights the inner struggle of a prophet who saw God move in a way that he did not want.  The book starts with Jonah’s assignment to take a message of repentance to Israel’s enemies, the people of Nineveh.  Jonah would have preferred to take a message of judgement because he believed that they did not deserve God’s mercy.  Jonah’s  preference was so strong that he opted to blatantly rebel against God rather than witness His mercy to the people of Nineveh.  In the midst of Jonah’s rebellion, God acted to make sure His word got to the people of Nineveh.  Jonah found himself unable to escape his calling and seeing the foolishness of his attempt while he prayed from inside the belly of a fish.  

As he prayed, Jonah came to the true and humbling realization that choosing anything apart from God’s way is choosing to turn from God to worthless idols. In Jonah’s case, the idol was his desire to see God treat the people of Nineveh according to his expectations. After Jonah realizes his own idolatry, he is able to warn the Ninevites about theirs.  The result is as he predicted, God was merciful and did not destroy the repentant Ninevites. 

The book of Jonah ends with Jonah angry with God for having mercy on the Ninevites.  Somehow despite his realization in the belly of the fish, Jonah had quickly turned back to his worthless idol even as Nineveh turned away from hers. At this point in the story, Nineveh turns to the source of life and steadfast love while Jonah, the Prophet of the living God, turns away from Him. This is a sobering reality. Yet doesn’t it ring true for so many of us?  God is the source of life and steadfast love but when He chooses circumstances for us that we would not have picked ourselves,  like Jonah, we turn away from Him thinking we will find life elsewhere. Friends, we do not have to give into this way of thinking and acting. So how do we stay connected to God, the source of life and steadfast love? How do we resist the allure of turning away from Him and turning  to worthless idols?

Prayerfully Ask God to Reveal Your Heart Idols 

An idol is something that we desire more than God in any given moment. In hard moments, it can be difficult to identify idols. Ask God to show them to you as you process your desires in His presence. Then pay attention when He shows you which of your desires (even good ones) have become more important than God.  These are your idols. 

Take an Honest Look at Your Responses

One way to identify the idols you have turned to is to look at your responses to the life you have.  Like Jonah, are you running away (Jonah 1:1-3)?  Are you more concerned for shade over your head than eternal souls (Jonah 4:9-11)?  Our sinful attitudes, thoughts, and actions reflect a heart that is being nourished, nurtured and enticed by idols. The secret behind thriving even in difficulty is learning to address these heart idols so we can stay connected to the source of life.

Repent 

When you recognize idols, sinful actions, and attitudes; repentance is key.  First, it is important to agree with God’s verdict that cherishing anything above Him is sin.  If we do not properly define the problem we will not find an effective solution.  Second, go the distance in discerning what it looks like to turn away from sin and walk in accordance to truth. This way when a situation arises where your idol is competing again for God’s place (which will happen) then you can respond in a specific and timely manner which weakens your fleshly tendencies (Galatians 5:16). As you choose to turn away from these worthless idols you experience more of God’s steadfast love and abounding grace (Romans 5:20).

Invest in Right Worship of God 

We are worshippers by nature. It is not enough to turn our attention away from the wrong things, we need our hearts to be captivated by worship of an all consuming thing.  We often underestimate the power of the right worship of God in anchoring us. There are a number of ways you can do this but here are 2 key components: 

• In your worship of God, make sure that what you are focusing on is actually true according to the bible. It is so easy to project our desires to God and then worship the version of God who is just a more powerful version of us. God desires to be worshipped in spirit and truth and this is the only kind of worship that is life changing.  
• Secondly, focus on God! It is so easy to make worship about our response to God or what we desire from God instead of God himself. To be clear, evaluating both our desires and responses  in God’s presence is a good thing BUT it is a cheap substitute for focusing on who HE is.  According to J.I Packer in his book Knowing God, what we need in life is a compelling view of God and all our worries and fears would have no place.  It can be hard to believe sometimes that our very practical or very hard and confusing problem can find its solution first in gazing upon God’s beauty but it does. David testifies to this when his life is in danger and he is in need of deliverance in Psalm 27:4. Look at God dear friend. The more you do, the more things in your life  will fall into their rightful places

Persevere 

 Perseverance is a hard discipline because it requires coming to the end of ourselves and then going further still. It truly is as exhausting as it sounds, and in our own strength, very much impossible.  However, God has fashioned life so we grow to maturity in our faith through perseverance in trials. So stay on course, keep going, stay rooted in His word, and responsive to the things He commands. The beautiful thing is God promises that those who persevere will experience peace and share in His holiness (Hebrews 12). 

Does all this seem like heavy lifting when you were hoping for a rest day?  In the fitness world, sometimes the cure to low energy is a hard workout. However, in God’s kingdom, following His ways will lead to abundant life every time, even when His way is counterintuitive to yours. Take heart, God is faithful. He will  give you the strength to live rightly in your current circumstances.

Reflection Questions

1. What aspect of your life are you currently struggling with?
2. How have you been responding to this particular struggle this week?
3. Take a moment to pray about your struggle and your response to it.
4. Ask God to reveal any idols or wrong desires you need to turn away from.
5. Ask God to guide you by the Holy Spirit into any biblical truth He would have you hold onto and apply to this specific struggle.

What bible verse do you often turn to during challenging seasons?

Let us encourage one another by sharing in the comments below!

For Further Encouragement

Were you encouraged by this blog post? I would love to connect with you on our special Her Faith Thrives Newsletter which goes out every other month.  In each newsletter, I share a short reflection about how I’m growing in my faith during this season of life. Plus, I’ll be sending you some fantastic resources to inspire and guide you on your own faith journey. When you subscribe, you will receive my all-time favorite tool for making your Daily Quiet Time truly meaningful. It’s called “From Routine to Reverence: 3 Simple Steps to a Deeper Daily Quiet Time.” I can’t wait to hear how it helps you deepen your time in God’s Word.