I was reading the book of Nahum recently and was challenged. I have to say I haven’t spent much time in this book and for the first time I realized something about Jonah that I haven’t thought about before. I have to wonder if part of Jonah’s frustration was the he knew in his spirit that Nineveh’s repentance wouldn’t last and that God would eventually have to judge these people. So in his mind maybe he wrestled with God’s choosing to be a Father rather than a Judge in that season.
John Maxwell talks about a fundamental message in Nahum. That no matter how much power you accumulate as a leader, it can never compensate for spiritual failure with God. That leadership success w/o spiritual success equals failure. If Jonah had some understanding of this and in his spirit he knew the rulers would fail to lead people spiritually then why not wipe them all out now instead of a century later?
Timing
God’s timing is not our timing – bottom line. For someone like me who moves fast, I hear myself consistently saying out loud, “I trust You, God. Your timing will be perfect”. At times my kids will hear me mumbling it and ask if I said something. It may seem odd to anyone who can hear me but it’s a process that I’ve had to develop in order to not rush God or get ahead of Him.
There is time to be a “father” – so full of grace and love. And there is time to be a “judge”. Not judging people since we are called to be witnesses but rather judging situations. In order to see the situation clearly we need to take some time. Time to put the logic together, time to move past the emotions and time to speak into the situation.
So if you see me talking to myself you’ll know exactly what I’m doing. Taking time.
Posted on September 3, 2011
0