“I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’” — Jonah 2:4
>> Sign up here for Sports Spectrum devotionals sent right to your email inbox <<
Is there anything in your life that deep down you know the Holy Spirit is wanting you to do, but you are resisting?
Maybe God is trying to call you to extend love, grace, kindness or care to a teammate, coach or neighbor. Perhaps God is trying to lead you to open a door to be able to use your platform as an athlete to glorify Him, but you may be hesitant due to societal pressure, team or organization restrictions, or even perhaps your own ego.
Perhaps the most famous person in the Bible for “tuning out” God’s voice was Jonah.
The Biblical account of Jonah’s life details his reluctance to God’s desires and purposes for him. While God desired Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh and preach, Jonah was so reluctant that he went the complete opposite direction and sailed for Tarshish instead. While sailing, he encountered a storm so drastic that the sailors threw him overboard in an attempt to appease God, since they suspected calamity was coming upon them as a punishment for Jonah’s disobedience.
Once overboard, the most famous portion of the account of Jonah happened as he was swallowed up by a fish until he came to repentance. Eventually Jonah cried out to the Lord, “I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple” (Jonah 2:4), and upon his declaration, Jonah was freed from the fish.
With a repentant heart focused on listening to and following God’s will, Jonah preached to the people of Nineveh, and they turned from their wicked ways to follow God.
As we reflect on our own hearts, some of us may be following Jonah’s lead and attempting to disregard what we know the Holy Spirit desires. As a result, we may find ourselves in our own “fish” — a state of restlessness, lack of peace and turmoil. Just like Jonah and the sailors in the story, we may also be bringing conflict to the people around us.
If you find yourself in your own state of reluctance to follow God’s plans for you, I invite you to cry out to God, just as Jonah did. Let Him know that you will “look again toward [His] holy temple.” And be freed from the fish you find yourself in as you begin following the Holy Spirit.
— Ryan Vilfer
>> Do you know Christ personally? Learn how you can commit your life to Him <<
>> Purchase “The Increase 52 Week Devotional” to further grow your relationship with Christ <<
>> Dive more into God’s Word with Sports Spectrum through the YouVersion Bible App <<
If you would like to submit a devotional, please email all submissions to
devotionals@sportsspectrum.com
