Israel. 2017 Return to Ninevah

Have you ever known that God called you to do something and you just wanted to pull a Jonah and go to Ninevah? Last time I came home from Israel I said I would not go back to Israel for a while. Our last visit was less than pleasant and even though Catherine and I knew we were supposed to go, it just seemed utterly fruitless. I remember thinking, “God please don’t ask me to go back to Israel. It’s like asking me to go to Ninevah” 

      During tax season in February, my boss asked me if I thought I’d take another trip to Israel. I told him, Stephen, I don’t think I can go back. If God wants me to go... I think I might just run away to Joppa like Jonah did”. Which was a foolish thing to say, because my figurative “Ninevah” was the literal Joppa. 

     Everyone has been telling me how excited I must be to go back. And I should be. Israel is perceived as the Holy Land. As the place where exciting deep meaningful experiences happen. The Israel I experience each year is a modern 20th century Israel where people you thought were your friends take you into dangerous places, and treat you less than you feel you deserve. So am I excited? Nope. But we all know what happened to Jonah. He got swallowed by a whale. 

       And ladies and gentleman, that’s what happened to me this summer. The whale got me. It swallowed me whole and spit me back up with fish guts all over it. God has been healing my heart the last few weeks and showing me where I’ve really been wanting to escape from going back to continue sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Sometimes I even have the same bad attitude as Jonah, “just let the Ninevites die God. They are a wicked people”. But I know that God does not will that his people should perish. He has asked us to go witness to the Jew first and to bless Israel with the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

     It’s made me realize that missions is smelly and unpleasant and sometimes maybe the fish swallows the missionary. When God has a plan for your life though, he will accomplish it to the end. So on this flight over to Israel I’m sitting here trying to ask God to give me love for the Ninevites, so that they will want the love of Christ. 🐳🇮🇱🤸🏽‍♀️