Picture this.

The Lord reveals to you that He is going to show mercy to someone you despise. 

This person embodies everything you find vile, and you feel justified in your feelings because you know that, one day, the person will be judged by the Lord. 

Except the Lord is loving, and He tells you to speak to this person. You must tell this person about the Lord. Tell him the Lord loves him and forgives him if only he would turn to Him. 

Would you be a godly example and speak truth to this person? Or would you fear for your life and blend in to not draw attention to yourself? Would you decide the person isn’t worthy of this news?

God tasked one man, Jonah, with preaching to the people of Nineveh. God was going to destroy the city and wanted to give its citizens a chance to turn to Him. Jonah did not want to go. He hid, jumped onto a boat, and tried to get as far away from the situation as he could. 

Jonah wasn’t sure he could do the task that God set for him … because he didn’t want the people to be forgiven. The people of Nineveh were that wicked. 

But accountability came knocking and Jonah literally jumped ship to spare the crew from a horrific storm that God brought forth to seek out Jonah. We all know the famous incident where he was swallowed up by a large fish and given time to address his fear. 

“Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” (Hebrews 4:13)

We can not hide from our accountability to the Lord. It is part of what makes us work for the Lord. We are partly driven by our knowledge that God sees us. Maybe your “Nineveh” is a coworker or family member. Maybe you are tasked with moving to a new city, switching jobs, or traveling to a foreign country. God uses our lives for His honor and glory when we live in His will. 

“For of him, and through him, and to him are all things: to whom be glory for ever.” (Romans 11:36)

Stop hiding in the large fish. Trust that the Lord has already laid the path for you to succeed. Be accountable to Him so your testimony is magnified through His blessings. 

Next Friday, Sister Linda will talk about how to stay accountable to God when we reeeeeeeally want to play the blame game.

This article has undergone ministry review and approval.