Not long ago, Jenna, the daughter of some of our house parents in India, was in Sunday School. The teacher told the children that Jonah was eaten by a fish.

“No,” Jenna attempted to correct, “Jonah ate the fish!”

The teacher turned to Jenna and patiently explained. “No, it was a very BIG fish, and it ate Jonah!”

“No,” Jenna repeated, “Jonah ate the fish.”

No matter how hard the teacher tried, she could not convince Jenna that Jonah was swallowed by a very large fish.

It’s a cute story, and anyone who knows Jenna has to chuckle, imagining the scene. It’s funny that—while very young—Jenna is so programmed to the laws of the natural world and her own experiences that their reversal in the book of Jonah seems impossible to believe.

I’m not so sure my own disbelief is as endearing.

How often have I questioned God’s plan, His directions, His rules and laws because they didn’t match my own expectations or understanding?

Isn’t that what the story of Jonah is about in the first place? Jonah couldn’t accept that God wanted him to go to Nineveh to prophecy against it in hopes the people would repent and turn to God. Certainly God wouldn’t want the Ninevites to worship Him!

Jonah had a script in his head, one that told him God loved Israel. That true but limited script kept him from understanding that God loves the world.

Jonah eventually obeyed God and went to Nineveh. But it was via the belly of a fish!

Today, ask God to help you identify any limited scripts you may have which prevent you from carrying out your divine mission. Maybe you’re supposed to make sacrificial financial donations to allow someone to hear the gospel, but you’re hung up on the script of what comforts you think your own life should include.

Maybe you’re supposed to visit orphans, but you think long plane rides are inconvenient or fundraising is uncomfortable.

Maybe God’s been hinting that you should spend more time in prayer, but a quick look at your to-do list makes you write off the possibility.

When we consider the lengths Jesus went to in order to come to earth, our excuses quickly become insignificant. So pray that God enlarges your vision to see His script for your life. It may just save you from being swallowed by a fish!

This month as you pray for The Boaz Project, please:

Ask God to keep The Boaz Project’s board and staff sensitive to His leading and obedient to their divine mission of helping orphans however He directs.

Petition the Lord for relief caregivers for our Indian children’s homes so that the house parents can attend a three-day training, helping them better care for vulnerable children.

Lift up April Jurgensen, Michaela Shake, and all of our Indian house parents as they meet for the training sessions, that they would learn a lot together, encourage one another, and glorify God during that time.

Ask God for the remaining resources needed for the three-story apartment building we plan to build for orphans and their house parents in Limuru, Kenya.

Believing in miracles,
April Jurgensen