Evening Prayer 30th December

Jonah 2:1-10

Jonah prays the experience of faith. Here he is, in the belly of a big fish - a particularly unpleasant location - and what is he doing? He is praising God! And at the same time he is explaining why.

He has spent the last months of the story running away from God and from the calling he knows is there, deep within.

The running away has led from one problem to another and eventually he is about to drown. His life could get no worse (in fact, if it carries on like it is, it ill not have any time to do so either) so he remembers God, in fact he cries out to the God he has been running away from.

The transformation is instantaneous - and surprising. He is rescued. At first sight his plight looks marginally worse than it did before - after all he is inside a fish. But he recognises God's providence and his recognition leads to acceptance and praise - and he is safe.

This is the story of faith. We run away expecting that we can get along better by avoiding the call on our lives. Only when things get bad do we call out in hope. The call in hope marks the change and the transformation that God brings to the darkest situation is experienced and the our world is different. We experience the difference and give thanks and praise for it. And we are in a safe place again - at least for a while...

Colossians 1:15-23
The faith of Jonah is quite different to the faith of Paul. Paul's faith takes off where Jonah's ends. Paul's faith is one where the questions are answered and the answers exceed his wildest hopes. The nature of God - the pre and self-existent One have been revealed in Christ and in this revelation the purpose and meaning of life have been fully revealed. No longer is it a questions of choosing obedience - embracing or rejecting the call - it is about the complete transformation of the worldview that removes fear from the equation and inspires the every thought and action.

And he is writing to people like me - who have been estranged and whose minds have not understood, but who have come to understand - and he is telling us to keep hold of the understanding and vision for all things that faith in Christ bestows. Do this, not just because it's true (which it is) but because if we don't we look back over our shoulders at the fear and doubt we felt before and we let it creep back. The darkness creeps through our consciousness trying to draw us away from the light of Christ and we become double minded and confused.

Thoughts

God is good. We know it deep down, but often we want to run away from it. But to run away is to run into darkness and fear.

Once we know the certainty of the love of God in Christ and have seen the vision He has for us and the promise He makes to us, there is nowhere to run to, or reason to run there.

It is frustrating for many in the is post-modern world who like to live in the grey areas of life that so many find true peace in Christ.

But we do and praise Him for it!!