The Difficult “Yes”: Finding Peace in God’s Second Chance

Focus Keyword: Saying Yes to God Category: Christian Walk / Obedience Reading Time: 4 Minutes

The Battle of the True Self

My dear brothers and sisters, we often look at the prophet Jonah and judge him for running away. But how many of us have done the exact same thing?

In scripture, Jonah eventually listens to God’s word the second time, finally choosing to believe even though his “true self” knew the truth about God from the very beginning. There is often a fierce battle between what we know is right in our spirit and what we feel is comfortable in our flesh.

I want to share my personal testimony of this battle. When God asked me to leave my country to follow my husband to a place where he got a job, I was very hesitant. My “No” was loud. I was comfortable where I was—surrounded by my family, my house, and my routine. My husband waited for my decision, but I simply didn’t want to move.

The Turning Point: A Fall and A Voice

I delayed, hoping the call would change. Then, the wake-up call came—not on a boat like Jonah, but in the privacy of my own home.

I fell in the bathroom, hitting my rib bone and spine hard against the floor. The pain was severe. I felt badly hurt in that moment. As I sat on the bed with my husband’s help, struggling with the physical pain, God spoke to my spirit with a question that pierced my heart:

“Are you ready to go? Even with a fall, you are not severely hurt. I protected you.”

In that moment of pain, I realized something profound. I was resisting the God who was actively protecting me. In that pain, I finally said “Yes” to God.

The Resolution: Walking in His Will

Today, He is leading us in this new country. Even though there are a lot of challenges, we are walking in His will.

My journey taught me a hard lesson: It is difficult to say ‘yes’ when we don’t understand the plan. We want comfort; God wants obedience.

Just like Jonah, we might run away. But we must remember that when we say ‘no’, nothing stops God. He executes what He has decided. The only variable is the path we take. We can choose the easy road of immediate obedience, or we can choose the difficult path of the “Second Time”—traversing through storms or falls to finally agree with Him

Key Takeaways for Your Journey

If you are struggling to submit to God’s plan today, hold on to these truths:

1. Your “No” Won’t Change His Plan: God’s purpose will prevail. He executes His will regardless of our resistance.

2. Don’t Wait for the Fall: You don’t need a crisis to prove God’s protection. You can trust Him while you are still comfortable.

3. The Second Chance is Grace: If you missed the first call, God is gracious enough to ask a second time. The path to the second “Yes” may be difficult, but His presence is there.

“Only the path we traverse to say ‘yes’ to God—for the second time—would be difficult.”

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