Believe

“The Ninevites believed God.” Jonah 3:5



God spoke, and the people of Nineveh believed. Short. Simple. And how it should be. They didn’t debate or dawdle. They didn’t get second opinions or investigate other options. They straight-up and straight-out took God at His word. Their belief translated immediately into action. The king stepped off his thrown and sat down in the dust. He decreed a fast and commanded, “Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence.” To show they were serious, “all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.” The people’s sincerity went beyond skipping a few meals and donning itchy clothes; they were sincerely sorry and repented. Their certainty of God’s word caused a change in their ways.


The Ninevites’ belief was more than a state of mind; it was a state of will. Their knowledge of God may have been small, but their belief was big—big enough to make a difference in them and big enough to make a difference to God. “When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring up on them the destruction he had threatened.”


Belief is huge. Way huge. What we believe and who we believe makes all the difference—now and forever. Belief in God’s Word is the filter and framework we need for our culture’s continual barrage of information and for our constant choice of action. Before, and better than, you believe anything else, believe the Bible. Its stories of creation, resurrection, and redemption may sound crazy, but they’re true. Step off the throne and sit down in the dust. The One who has spoken is not an egotistical liar but the everlasting Lord. If you want to know what to do with and how to deal with all that others say, you must first know and believe what He says. Thankfully, you need not wait for a visiting prophet to bring a message from the Lord. God’s words are in black and white for us to treasure and to trust—to believe. Short. Simple. And how it should be.


Take God at His Word.
He will always keep it.