“But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.” Jonah 1:3 NIV
Boy bands have been a part of pop culture and any adolescent’s experience for quite some time. Whether rock with The Beatles, motown with The Temptations, the multiple sounds of The Jackson 5, or even K-pop with BTS, there’s something about boy bands that every generation can appreciate. During my adolescence, we enjoyed the R&B sounds of groups like New Edition and Jagged Edge as well as the pop tunes of NSync.
NSync had a few hits and the tunes were pretty good but what always stood out to me was the synchronized dancing. “Bye Bye Bye” in particular seemed to have a choreographed dance that everyone was attempting to learn and perform. The timing, the rhythmic coordination to the beat, the synchronized movement of each members’ legs as they jumped in the air, their arms waving goodbye on the landing -- and let’s not forget the emphatic head bop with each “bye.” NSync was in sync!
While for many of us the opportunity to relive boy band glory days are behind us, we do have an opportunity to get in sync with the rhythmic pace God has designed for each of our lives. In the Bible, we find Jonah out of sync with what God wanted him to do in that moment. There was a nation of people to the east in Nineveh who were in need of a good word to provide redemption for their souls, and God wanted Jonah to be His messenger. Because of Jonah’s personal feelings about these people and Jonah’s own belief about how and when his call should be utilized, instead of going east he went west in an attempt to escape the will of God. It was most definitely a failed attempt as God sent a storm and a deluxe three-night stay in the belly of a large fish to get Jonah in sync. (Jonah 1-3)
None of us want to be like Jonah and experience crisis or a breakdown in order to be aligned to God and His will for us. I can hear God now, lovingly looking at Jonah from above thinking to Himself “now are we going to do this the hard way? Or the easy way?” How true is that for our own lives? How often has God had to prompt you to do something He’s asked of you? Or how often has he had to remind you that despite your desire now is not the appointed time? If we’re honest, we are more like Jonah than we’d like to admit. In moments of great indignation using the intelligence God gave us, our pride swells up and we end up telling God “not now” or “thanks, but no thanks” which is in essence telling our Lord “no.”
I don’t know what it is for you. Maybe a promotion, geographic relocation, a new career? Or maybe God wants you to stay where He’s placed you for a harvest you can’t even see? It could be a marriage, having children, giving up all you know to be a missionary, taking a pay cut for greater service, taking better care of your mind and body, exhibiting unconditional love to the one who has hurt you, bridling your tongue, sacrificing your need to be right, exercising patience when people don’t move when you want them to move or how you want them to move, being the first to say “I’m sorry” and reconcile the relationship, taking what seems like a loss and trusting God in the long run, managing the resources God has given you, tithing, paying an old but not forgotten debt, forgiving an offense without having to talk about it, leaving your comfort zone, making restitution, abandoning what you thought your life should be and accepting what God has designed for you...
Whatever it is, get in sync with God and watch Him work.
Reflection
What has God asked me to do? Are there any ways I am out of sync with Him? Are there any nudges on my heart or circumstances being brought to my memory or to my conscious mind? What would it take for me to surrender? What is holding me back from getting in sync with God on this matter?
Prayer
Lord, thank you being the great choreographer of my life. Forgive me for being out of sync and trying to go my own way. Grant me a heart of flesh and open my ears to hear clearly from You. Grant me spiritual eyes so I see this life from Your divine perspective. Soften my heart so I can experience this life in sync and on one accord with You. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
Photo by ketan rajput on Unsplash
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