Lost (and Found) in Grace

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Hey all you Baby Boomers out there! Remember the TV show Lost in Space? It featured the Robinson Family and evil stowaway Dr. Smith for whom things went really, really wrong on their maiden voyage, rendering them unable to return to Planet Earth.

In fact the 1998 sequel Lost in Space Forever inspired this comparison to the Book of Jonah which I’ve entitled Lost (and Found) in Grace.

Because though Jonah disobeyed His command, God STILL extended His Amazing Grace to Jonah and empowered him to accomplish some amazing things for His Glory which should encourage even a stiff-necked people such as Us, Amen?

We all know the story: God calls Jonah, he bolts to Tarshish; God “redirects” Jonah, burps him up on the beach, he heads to Ninevah (finally); Jonah preaches, the people repent complete with sackcloth and ashes, Mission Accomplished! 

Not so much.

In fact Jonah gets angry and pouts. Defeat from the jaws of victory! What’s up with that? 

Consider if you will my first feeble attempt at theology in my very first semester at DTS from my BE109OL Ruth, Psalms, Jonah & Selected Epistles class.  I entitled my “chart”  The “Free Willy” (catch the whale pun?) Game Board!?!! Because though hundreds of  learned biblical scholars who preceded me “missed” it—I of course received “special revelation” that The Book of Jonah was obviously about Free Will.  Not!

OK now show me some Grace! At the time I was running a marketing communications company so suffice to say that I had a bit of an adjustment going to seminary. But as my wise grader’s comments warned:  “Seek confirmation from learned sources”—which after a decade I FINALLY did and found NO confirmation of the theological soundness of my conclusions.

Zero. Zip.  Zilch. NADA.

OK so no Spurgeons reborn here. Nevertheless–if there is significance in asking the question in our own lives, let’s ask it!  Where are you headed?  Tarshish?  Or Ninevah?  ‘Cause ALL of us are heading in one of two directions: either you are heading your own way and doin’ your own thang (i.e. Tarshish).  Or you are goin’ God’s way (aka Ninevah). 

Because here’s the real deal, folks–Jonah is somebody who had it ALL: a Relationship with God, a personal calling on his life, and success in ministry. BUT HE MISSED IT!  And just as the ill-fated Robinsons were Lost in Space, so Jonah was Lost in Grace. 

But let’s not remain Lost in Grace, but FOUND! May there be No Condemnation in the bad decisions we’ve made (and oh I’ve made some doozies!).  Rather what I want is for you to be ENCOURAGED!  Because this episode of your life—just like an episode of Lost in Space— is simply “To Be Continued”!  

Here is an awesome new song released just this Summer from Ashes Remain called Here For A Reason to remind and encourage you that Hey!  It ain’t over yet! 

God’s got a Plan and a Purpose For Your Life. So skip the detour to Tarshish and head straight to Ninevah –and your destiny that neither weapons of disobedience nor disability may ever destroy.

In His Accessible Grace,

Linda