Neville Turley

“You created every part of me; you put me together in my mother's womb.”  Psalm 139:13 (GNB)

Sometimes the Lord lays a burden on us we would rather not carry. A major responsibility we would rather not shoulder. Then like many of God’s children we find ourselves asking, “Why me, Lord?”

It’s a question Jonah must often have asked from the time God first called him in Israel to the distant city of Nineveh in Assyria. There was no love lost between the Jews and Assyrians.

Jonah did not want the task of warning the Ninevites that God knew of their wickedness.  He had no desire to reach out to them. 

However, his attempts to do things his own way, failed miserably. Jonah’s resistance crumbled and he followed God’s command instead. The words of the Psalmist could have been written about Jonah, "I have considered my conduct, and I promise to follow your instructions."(Psalm 119:59)

Nineveh was situated on the east bank of the Tigress River where Mosul in Iraq is now situated.  The Bible does not reveal where the fish ejected Jonah. Even if it was at the northern end of the Mediterranean coast it would still have been a long walk to Nineveh. Plenty of time for Jonah to ask God: “Why me, Lord?”

The answer to that question lies in our Bible verse for today. God made each of us individually.  Our DNA and our fingerprints prove that we are absolutely unique. There are no two identical human beings on the planet. There never has been and never will be. 

We do have something in common with all humankind, we are all sinners and unworthy of God’s favour. Yet we are special to God, so special he sent his Son to save us from our sins. 

Through him we became family of God but with that awesome privilege comes an equally awesome responsibility. We have to accept life’s challenges without question and welcome each one as an opportunity to serve our God and Saviour.

Prayer: Heavenly Father may the Holy Spirit empower us to walk in faith in Jesus name. Amen