Years ago I used to speak at local MOPs (Mothers of Preschoolers) events in my area. I enjoyed encouraging new moms in the stage of their lives often referred to as “the trenches.” I had several different topics in my speaking repertoire, but one particular morning I was speaking to moms of babies and toddlers about the importance of prioritizing their marriages. I arrived early to my speaking engagement and listened to the announcements. I knew the schedule; I knew the drill that almost every MOPs program in our area followed. There was one order of business they were going to deal with before I took the stage, so I decided to take one more bathroom break to relieve my nervous bladder that loves to come calling right before I do anything in front of an audience.

As I exited the meeting room and made my way to the ladies’ room, the coordinator of this MOPs program also made her way to the ladies’ room. She was just a few steps ahead of me and I’ll never forget her words. She said, “I’m so excited to hear you speak on marriage this morning. After last weekend with my husband, I’m done. But I told myself I’d listen to this talk before making a final decision.”

Record scratch.

This was not a part of the “drill” I’d come to expect on MOPs mornings. To say I was taken aback would be an understatement. My feet kept walking to the ladies’ room, but my world absolutely stopped as I closed the door to my stall. My eyes were wide, my jaw was dropped, and I started to panic. I might have even raised my hands and let out a silent scream. This woman, now in the stall next to me, just told me her marriage was hanging on the presentation I was going to give in about five minutes. I almost couldn’t breathe.  I immediately started mentally reviewing my main points, scanning my presentation for bits that might help save her marriage. I felt the weight of her world on my shoulders.

I started to pray for her and for me as the clock tick-tocked closer to me taking the podium. The more I prayed, the more relaxed I became. As I prayed, the weight on my shoulders lifted. The Lord made it clear that I needed only to be faithful to what I’d planned and prayed about presenting – He was going to do the heavy lifting for this woman, not me. And all of my anxiety about the impact of my words melted when I remembered one person from the Bible: Jonah.

Most people immediately think of Jonah stuck in his whale era, but I think of Jonah often for a different reason. Every time I am asked to speak or teach, and I start feeling like it’s all up to me and my power to deliver a compelling lesson, I am reminded of Jonah – and who really has the power. The very first verse in the book of Jonah tells us the Lord called Jonah to preach to the Ninevites – that’s what set his whole story in motion. Jonah didn’t want to preach to the Ninevites because he hated the Ninevites and didn’t want God to forgive them, thus the reason he ran away and ended up in the belly of a whale (Jonah 1:17). There is a lot of history behind Jonah’s hatred of the Ninevites that is very interesting, but for our purposes, I want to focus on Jonah’s presentation to the Ninevites when he finally obeyed God’s call to preach to them.

Years ago, as I was reading the book of Jonah from beginning to end for the first time (instead of just hitting the high points usually associated with Jonah), I was struck by an awesome truth. I was reading along, fully expecting a momentous speech full of persuasive language since God called Jonah to preach to the Ninevites. If the Ninevites were as evil as history depicted and God wanted them to turn from wickedness, I was sure Jonah’s speech was going to be amazing. Are you as curious as I was to know what he said to the Ninevites to change their evil ways? Get ready. Here’s the whole speech:

“Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned” (Jonah 3:4).

That’s it! Eight words. His sermon was eight words. And given Jonah’s sour attitude and disdain for the Ninevites, I wouldn’t be surprised if he mumbled or spoke in a monotone voice, maybe while kicking the gravel beneath his feet.

For as lackluster as his preaching was, the very next sentence says, “The Ninevites believed God” (Jonah 3:5). THE NINEVITES BELIEVED GOD. A people group who had been evil for generations was moved to complete repentance after Jonah showed up and said a measly eight words. The rest of the chapter goes on to specify exactly how the Ninevites planned to honor God with their lives.

As someone who writes and often speaks for various audiences, I was intrigued. What became clear to me as I read that passage for the first time was even a humdrum message powered by God – not the human speaking – is eternally life-changing. Jonah wasn’t the reason the Ninevites believed in God. It was all God. And it’s always ALL GOD.

And that’s what I thought about that morning before I took the stage at MOPs – Jonah. It wasn’t up to me, it was up to God. I had already prayed about my words through my preparation process and asked the Lord to prepare the hearts that would hear the message. While I was surprised by this woman’s situation, He wasn’t. The pressure was off me. I, like Jonah, needed only to be faithful (although, I would like to think I was more passionate about my topic and my audience than Jonah was).

A huge temptation is to believe it’s all up to us – even when God calls us to a specific situation or conversation. We feel like we have to have all the answers and be ready for every curve ball. But the even bigger temptation is believing that God is not enough and needs our help. The truth is, whatever talent or skills we have were given to us by Him for Him. He doesn’t need our help, He is all-powerful. However, in His graciousness and lovingkindness, He allows us to be a part of His redemptive plan. It is our joy and privilege – not our full responsibility. When we are fueled by God’s power, we are dealing with a never-ending, never-perishing resource.

We need only show up with our faithful “yes”.

Dear Lord, we can fool ourselves into thinking it’s all up to us. But You are all-powerful and Your plans will not be thwarted. There is nothing we can cobble together that is of any value unless You are in it. Thank You that nothing brings more joy than knowing You have chosen us to be a part of Your beautiful plans. You are gracious to include us. Lord, let us not try to play Your part, but instead, faithfully show up and take part in doing Kingdom work – all for Your glory. We love You. Maranatha! Amen.