Season Of Restraint

A Season of Restraint

Scripture Reference: Jonah 3:1-10

Introduction-

Ater our prayer service last Sunday concerning the election, I was cleaning up and thinking about how the service went.

My next thought was- what will I say next week?

I took it to God and asked, “What should I say?”

I felt very led to directly speak about the results, but then realized I might not even know until Thursday or Friday the way the last few elections have gone, giving me very little time to prepare as I’m working Thursday-Monday.

I was reminded me of a story I read about WWII.

On the evening of June 5th, 1944, General Dwight Eisenhower sat down at his desk and wrote two letters to President Franklin Roosevelt.

The first letter he wrote said this-

“Our landings in France have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops," Eisenhower wrote. "My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt… it is mine alone."

The second letter he wrote was to report that the D-Day invasion had been a success, and the Allied Armies had established the foothold they needed to drive the Germans back.

I felt the same way about the election – I felt like I had to write two sermons and have them ready for either outcome.

Election Day came. I had actually taken the time off so I could stay up and watch the results. At about 1250am Wednesday, News Nation and the Fox Decision desk called Michigan for now President Elect Trump, bringing him over the 270 electoral college votes necessary to win.

I’m not a member of either political party, but would label myself a Christian conservative, so of the two candidates I thought that was great news. As I continued watching the news, I saw a lot of cheering and rejoicing happening.

I finally went to bed around 2am.

When I woke up late Wednesday Morning, I grabbed some caffeine and spent time in prayer about this result, and the Holy Spirit spoke into my heart this message for the church of America-

“The take-a-way from the election should be this- God has graciously given us one last season of restraint for us to get our act together.

Don't squander it.”

God heard the cries of the church throughout our country, and moved his sovereign hand to guide the outcome.

However, this was NOT a victory, it was a reprieve.

Judgment was coming, and God heard the prayers from across this nation, and put it on hold.

There is a great example in the bible of another nation that faced the same thing. In the Old Testament, there was a superpower called the Assyrian Empire that was starting to look at Israel as it’s next conquest. It’s capital was city named Ninevah, which is now the modern city of Mosul in Northern Iraq.

The name Ninevah might ring a bell.

Most of us are familiar with the story of Jonah and the Whale. In Jonah’s story, and we always focus on the big fish, but that isn’t the important lesson.

God calls Jonah to go to Assyria, to his capital city Ninevah, and go up and down the city streets proclaiming that the Hebrew God is about to destroy them.

The Assyrian empire was a very wicked nation. Everything associated with Canaanite worship was on full display- horrific abuse of slaves both men and women, child sacrifice, and lascivious worship practices. It was just about as satanic as you can get- so from Jonah’s perspective not only did they deserve the Sodom and Gomorrah treatment of fire and brimstone, If God destroyed them it would also take out the nation that he knew God was calling to punish Israel for their sins.

That’s why Jonah ran in the opposite direction. He WANTED God to destroy them. He wanted to save Israel, even though Israel was starting to commit the same sins that Assyria was doing.

That’s the background of Jonah, and we have all heard the story of the whale. Today we will be looking at what happened after the fish spit him out.

In Jonah’s journey to Nineveh, we find a beautiful picture of a God who grants not just mercy, but a season of restraint from judgment.

Jonah 3:3-10

3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city — a visit required three days. 4 On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned." 5 The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.