The Assignment
Have you ever thought “what in the world am I doing here? Why was I even born?” I am sure it isn’t a common occurrence but every now and then, these thoughts could slip into your mind.
The bible teaches us that God has a purpose and a plan for each one; that we are created in His image, and that God is working in us to give us the desire and power to do what pleases him. Ephesians 2:10 says “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
Instead of obeying what God told him to do, Jonah ran in the opposite direction to Joppa to flee from the presence of the Lord. As if Jonah could get away from the God who is everywhere, he got on a ship headed to Tarshish.
God caused a violent storm to arise, and the crew feared the ship would break apart. The sailors were so fearful, they shouted to their gods for help and began to throw cargo overboard to lighten the ship. The captain found Jonah asleep and told him to get up and pray to his god to spare their lives. Jonah told them he was a Hebrew and feared the Lord. The crew decided and agreed that Jonah must have disobeyed God to cause a terrible storm, so they threw him overboard into the sea. If you are familiar with the bible story, then you know what happens. If you don’t, then take a moment and read it.
I recently decided to listen to the Bible for my daily reading plan. On this particular day, it was the story of Jonah and the big fish. Since I was familiar with this story, I decided to listen to it in The Message version. It was then that I heard something that caught my attention.
It says, “Then God assigned a huge fish to swallow Jonah. Jonah was in the fish’s belly three days and nights.” Some versions say that God “arranged”, “prepared”, “provided” and even “appointed” a fish to swallow Jonah.
Regardless of the version or translation of your choice, all these words have basically the same meaning. But for some reason, the word “assigned” resonated with me and began to stir my thoughts and my heart.
If you believe the bible as God’s infallible word, then you must trust that you are here in this world, created for this time and this place to fulfill the purpose and plan that God has for you. You were not born by chance; nor are you a mistake or accident. God says that you are fearfully and wonderfully made with a purpose to love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. And yes, each one of you have been given a purpose – a gifting, a calling or ability to fulfill the plan that God has designed just for you.
You may have yet to discover exactly what God has destined for you to be – your place in this world. In fact, you may even feel like you are floundering around trying to figure out exactly what you are supposed to do. Take heart! You are not alone!
May I suggest to you that if God designed such a detailed plan for Jonah in so much that He would include a fish, then He certainly has a plan for you. Trust God, ask Him to lead you and guide you, and show you the way.
And never, ever forget this: that even a fish had an assignment - and so do you!
