How's your Ninevah?

Jonah was a great man for all of us to study in today's world. Many lessons can be learned by his simple act of disobedience. Not that we are ever disobedient. I'm sure we all pick up the phone everytime the Lord calls our name, right? Yeah RIGHT! Jonah is like us all. Unwilling to comply unless threatened! Why do we do that? I believe sometimes He just wants to see if we will be obediant. Sometimes it is only about that. WHAT IF we were always obedient? We expect it from our children don't we? When our child is disobedient we scold or punish them. So why is it we get angry with God when he does the same to us? We sometimes ask our children to do things that we probably could do ourselves, partly just because we can and also to see if they will obediently comply. Surely I'm not alone on this one am I? So why should God not do the same?

I believe God had a heart to see the people of Ninevah saved. I believe He wanted Jonah to do it. I also believe he asked Jonah because He was testing him to see just how serious a man of God he was. To see if he would comply to his Father's directions. Jonah did not. The Father in heaven went ballistic! He sends a huge storm after Jonah all because he did not listen, He sent a whale to swallow him because he would not listen, He broke Jonah down inside of the whale until he unhappily complied.
I believe God does this to us as well. I think He has well made plans for us that He wants us to comply to, but we sometimes ignore. Sometimes there are intermissionary steps that He asks us to take to get to the major goal, just to see if we are really being obedient or if we are going through the motions. I believe He tests our obedience so we can have the best plan that He has for us not a substandard secondary plan that we often accept due to our unwillingness to go the extra mile out of obedience. What IF we all acted obediently no matter what the cost or the action? No matter how we would look to others or who would not be our friend anymore. WHAT IF we showed a little more trust through obedient service? Jonah reached the entire community of Ninevah once he complied to God's request and did it willingly. Could we all reach our personal Ninevah's if we just acted as we wish our children did, with obedience. WHAT IF?