Call Out Against It

God called Jonah to Nineveh, a “great city.” But that great city was in a death spiral. Sin had taken over their society. God sent Jonah to warn them, saying, “their evil has come up before me.”

God does not ‘miss’ the sin that is in the world, does he? Though we sometimes feel that evil is going unchecked, we can be sure that God knows about it. How does evil come up before God?

• God sees it... in the eyes of Christians facing the sword of persecution, in the toxic contamination of our planet, in the wars of aggression and oppression.
• God hears it... in the prayers of his people who cry out to him day and night, in the cries of children who are neglected, hungry, and abused, in the quiet moans of women and children caught in human trafficking.
• God feels it... in the broken hearts of his people who mourn over those lost in sin, in the hearts of mothers whose sons lie lifeless due to overdose, in the pain of babies unwanted and discarded.

God's heart is moved when he sees, hears, and feels the brokenness of sin. And, just as he sent Jonah to warn Nineveh, he sends us with a warning. But how do we warn a world so hostile to moral judgments? We cannot "call out against" our Nineveh in the same manner that Jonah did. Harsh, condemning words are simply not heard. We need to live holy and righteous lives and demonstrate peace and mercy, remembering that love covers over a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4.8).

When our light and love are seen in stark contrast to the darkness and hatred of this world, people will sit up and take notice.