"Yet I Will"

I can barely type the words to share with you the beautiful revelation my Sweet Savior has blessed me with this Good Friday.

I’m studying Jonah using a study by Priscilla Shirer called, “Jonah: Navigating a Life Interrupted.” My lesson today was on repentance. The best way I know to share with you what God has taught me this morning is to take you on the same journey and show you the progression of His insights to me. This is a long blog, but I pray you’ll find it worth your time.

Start with the definition of repentance. Priscilla says that, “Repentance has two aspects:

1. Confession means agreeing with God about any sin or rebellion in our lives and asking Him to rid us of that for which we have no more use.
2. Change calls for changing our mind, attitude, and actions.”

I read on to find another nugget of truth that gave me pause as Priscilla turned my attention to Jonah’s story.
“…whether or not Jonah knew God was never the concern. Clearly he was well acquainted with God. He could discern the leading of God. Yet Jonah had a problem agreeing with God and changing his mind, attitude, and actions to comply with God. His heart was out of alignment with the heart of God.”

The question came to me after re-reading this paragraph several times: What does agreeing with God sound like? How do I agree with God in practice, even when I don’t like what He’s doing? There are some times that I just plain don’t like with how He’s handling a situation. What then?

I began to replay some of those instances and my prayers that accompanied them in my head. They sounded something like this…

“Lord, I know you want what is best for me, but could you…”
“Lord, your will be done, but if it’s okay could we…”
“Lord, I hear what you’re saying and want to change, but…”
“Lord, bless that person in this circumstance, but show them they’re wrong about…”

I realized that my version of agreeing with God wasn’t agreeing at all. My version was full of what I’m now calling “but statements.” In order to agree with God, I have to stop ending my prayers with the “but statements.” If I end a sentence with an exclamation point instead of a period, I completely change my whole conversation. The same is true in my use of “but statements.”

Then it hit me: Jesus didn’t use a “but statement” to end His prayers at the hardest point in His ministry. When He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, He lived out what it means to agree with God.

1. His prayer, mind, and attitude were pleading yet submitted.

Luke 22:41-42 says, “And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, ‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.’”
Mark 14:35-36 shows the same event. Verse 36 says, “And he said. ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.’”

Christ, even in the depths of despair, didn’t say, “Your will be done, Father, but please don’t do it.” Instead, He presented He sorrowful, gut-wrenching plea to the Father, and ended with, “but your will.” Oh, how that changes everything!

2. His actions conveyed His agreement.

Not only did He say, “but your will,” He then followed through with God’s will… all the way to the Cross. He followed through, even though it cost Him His very life. The words Jesus prayed were beautiful, but they are but a glimpse into His submitted heart. The truest and clearest picture of His heart was displayed for the world to see in Jesus’ life poured out for us.

After I gathered myself up from all that, I went back to Jonah to finish my actual study guide lesson. Priscilla had me read portions of Jonah 2 (v. 2, 4, 7, 9) and underline phrases of Jonah’s prayer in the belly of the fish that showed he was having a change of heart. Guess what I underlined…

“I cried out to the Lord,”
“I called to you,”
“Yet I will,”
“But I will,”
“I will,”

Jonah gained a repentant heart when he chose submission. Choosing submission meant agreeing with God. Agreeing with God meant changing his former “but statements” to “I will” statements, followed by action in obedience.

I didn’t know I could see a picture of Christ in the story of Jonah, but oh, how I’m drawing connections now! I started out studying Jonah and repentance and made it all the way to the Cross and submission.

I didn’t bring my cup of coffee to my Bible study time this morning expecting to get a Good Friday lesson, but I’m humbled by His love that my Sweet Savior would give me one anyway. Thank you, Lord, for being my Teacher today! Thank you for drawing me back to the cross to celebrate and remember all you did that day so long ago and how it changes everything for me today.

Friends, I know this is a blog primarily about my weight loss journey, but part of that journey is repentance, submission, and a call to action. Draw your own connections in your heart. God is drawing them in mine.

I pray you have a truly Good Friday today.

Faithfully, fluffully, yours… NOT TO MENTION REDEEMED!