The Right Place

"The word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee" (Jonah 3:1,2).

God, in His grace, often gives us second, third, and even more chances to obey Him. After Jonah had disobeyed God's call, he found himself commissioned again by Jehovah to go to Nineveh. This time, Jonah did not venture to reason with his Lord, but he "arose, and went … according to the word of the Lord" (Jonah 3:3). This is as it should be.

Jonah proclaimed his solemn message through the streets of Nineveh. "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" (Jonah 3:4). His message was heard with all due gravity. "The people of Nineveh believed God" (Jonah 3:5). Jonah's visit to Nineveh, with its amazing results, is perhaps unique in the world's history. The entire population of the greatest city of that time was brought low before God at the simple preaching of one man.

We are of the most use to God when we are where He wants us to be. He knows the right country in which we should serve, and the right town, and the right time. Office, factory, school or home—wherever it may be—if that is His place for us, that is exactly where He wants us to be spiritually useful. God wanted to use Jonah in Nineveh. Where does He want to use you?

Even when we are in the right place, we need the Spirit's guidance every hour as to what we should do or say. These are simple lessons, but essential for us to learn and practice.

—Adapted from Jonah and His Experiences by W.W. Fereday