The Way Out is Down

Whenever we face resistance from God, there is always a way out.

Jonah came to Nineveh with a bleak message of divine resistance. God was against them, and in forty days, he would destroy the city (Jonah 3:4).

But the people of Nineveh saw “forty days” as a window of hope. In a moment, they flattened themselves in repentance.

They took the initiative to tear down their own tower, escaping a fall of judgment and making way for grace.

The moment Nineveh went low, God released the tension:

“When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.” (Jonah 3:10)

God is so moved by humility that whenever he sees it, he happily changes his plans in response (cf. 2 Chronicles 32:26; 1 Kings 21:29). He loves to flip the script and turn resistance into renewal for all who fall down in faith.

The way out of divine resistance is down in humility. One move of humble repentance releases divine resistance and opens the way to life. Lift yourself up against God—push against the winds of resistance—and the only way is down. But lay flat in the fear of the Lord, baring your soul in surrender, and the only way is up (Proverbs 22:4).

You’ll always feel tension from above when you build your own Babel. God won’t let you play god with any area of your life. The resistance is evidence that he “yearns jealously over the spirit that he made to dwell" in you (James 4:5).

“Humble yourself before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” (James 4:10)

Nineveh had a choice in the forty days, and so do you. What will you do in response to the resistance of the Lord?

You can take off your robe and put on repentance.

You can announce that you were wrong.

You can proclaim a fast from pride and feed again on grace.

You can make the choice to go low and let the King take control.