Have you ever desired something so strongly that you spent hours and hours in prayer over it, even though you knew in your heart that it was not God’s will for you? Dr. Michael Youssef encourages us to delight in what God wants in today's devotional.
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[00:00:00] You are listening to my devotional, the Daily Devotional from Dr. Michael Youssef and Leading The Way. Running Tarshish by Dr. Michael Youssef
[00:00:12] Have you ever desired something so strongly that you spent hours and hours in prayer over it even though you knew in your heart that it was not God's will for you? What happened when that desire remained unfulfilled?
[00:00:25] Did you accept it as part of God's plan or did you turn your back on God in anger and frustration? Running away from God will get us nowhere. No matter how far we try to run from God, he is always present.
[00:00:39] God's will for our lives is far better than any plan we can conceive. Jonah, however, chose to follow a different plan. Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed to Tarshish. He went down to Japa where he found a ship bound for that port.
[00:00:54] After paying the fare, he sailed for Tarshish to flee the Lord. Instead of being filled with gratitude, that God was calling him to do great things, Jonah boarded a ship that was going in the opposite direction.
[00:01:08] God had called Jonah to Nineveh, a city in modern day Iraq, yet Jonah was headed for Tarshish, located on the coast of Spain. Emotionally, spiritually and even geographically, Jonah ran as far as he could in the opposite direction of God's will for his life.
[00:01:28] Tarshish symbolizes that place in our lives where we've settled for what we want instead of delighting in what God wants. Tarshish is the nice comfort zone in which we hide. It's safe, it's easy, it's appealing.
[00:01:44] But sometimes the places where we can be of most help and make the most difference are where we are shaken and challenged. Let's pray together.
[00:01:55] Father, forgive us for the times when we run to our Tarshish to hide, help us to trust that your plans are best for us and to respond in obedience. We pray this to the name of Jesus, amen.
[00:02:09] To take a deeper dive into today's devotional topic, check the show notes for links to additional resources. And while you're there, subscribe to the MyDivotional Podcast so you never miss an episode. MyDivotional is a ministry of leading the way with Dr. Michael Yusse.
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