THE PEOPLE OF NINEVEH

PRAYER MOMENT 

Wednesday 25 February 2015

 THE PEOPLE OF NINEVEH

Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.

Reading: “And the people of Nneveh believed in God; they proclaimed a fast, ‘ … men and  beasts, herds and flocks are to taste nothing … they are to call on God and renounce their evil behaviour.’” (Jonah 3:1-10)

Reflection. Jonah and the whale is an ancient story that still gives delight today. It is a story like any other folk tale but it found its way into the bible and Jesus quoted it to highlight the obduracy of his contemporaries. It tells of a dramatic reponse to God. Even the animals fasted! It is a story of a change of heart by ‘pagans’. It resonates with the words of Mark’s first chapter, ‘repent and believe.’ Repent means, ‘change your way of thinking.’ It is that ‘discovery’ experience we sometimes have when we learn something new and life changing. And the bible tells us the pagans, people of our secular age, are often more eager to change than the people of the Lord’s own community.       

Prayer. Lord, give us your light to help us see the ways we can change in our day to day relationships and life. Amen.