Jonah 1:2
“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.”
Nineveh seemed to have gone too far. The sins they committed had brought God to a point of no return. Judgment had been proclaimed. The appointment of judgment had been made. The sword of the LORD was ready to destroy a city. It didn’t matter how you looked at it, it seemed that Nineveh’s days were over.
Hold on! There was still hope. The hope is found in the verse above when God called Jonah to go and cry against the city for her wickedness. The hope was that God was still sending preachers. The hope was that a man of God was still preaching. The hope was that there still seemed to be a glimmer of grace available for this city. In fact, we know that God’s grace was still available and that hope was available because two chapters later we see a city get right and God withholding His judgment.
This ought to give you hope for your nation. We live in times when sin seems to be praised worldwide. It doesn’t matter what nation you live in, it looks as if God’s judgment is near every nation. When there are nations that nationally accept sodomite lifestyles, how can one not wonder if God’s judgment is near? When nations have cast God out but accepted wicked lifestyles, how can one not wonder if God’s judgment is about to come. Yet, if there was hope for Nineveh, then there is hope for your nation. This story should encourage every citizen, and mostly every Christian that there is still hope for their nation.
There is hope as long as God is a merciful and gracious God. This hope can be realized not only by every nation, but by every individual who has a friend or loved one who has strayed from God. As long as God continues to exhibit mercy and grace, there is hope. You may think an individual or a nation has gone too far, but as long as God’s judgment has not been executed there is time for a nation or an individual to get right and realize His mercy and grace.
Moreover, there is hope as long as God is commanding men of God to go preach against the sins of a nation or an individual. We oftentimes look at hard preaching the wrong way. When you realize that God was proclaiming judgment against Nineveh through the preaching of Jonah for the whole purpose of bringing them back to Him, then you will realize there is hope. Every time a man of God stands and preaches the Word of God, there is hope.
There are two things very important to this hope. First, men must accept the call of God. I believe there is hope for any nation or person as long as God is still calling individuals to preach. Every time I see a young man accept the call of God, I realize that there is hope for my nation. Man of God, you must realize that you are the hope. You must preach what God wants no matter how bad society and sin may be.
Second, if this hope is going to be realized, then individuals must respond to God’s message of hope or judgment. Your response to the message of God is the key to God’s grace and mercy. As long as God is speaking to your heart and you are responding, then there is hope for your nation. I beg you to keep responding to God’s voice and not let the hope die.