Jonah wasn’t thrilled about his new job assignment. So he turned tail and sailed off in the opposite direction—a choice that got him tossed overboard into a raging sea and then swallowed by a giant, rather hungry fish that God sent to devour him. Moral of the story? Jonah’s traumatic experience as a tasty morsel of fish food was what God used to save his life . . . and, ultimately, the lives of the Ninevites.

Ah, yes. So often we too view the big, hairy situations in life as obstacles that get in our way. Yet as Jonah learned, God can use any circumstance as a tool to strengthen character and to accomplish great things. And just as God called Jonah and so many others in the Bible, He is calling us to do something specific for Him.

Before we can do anything for God, though, we need to know Him, to have a real, living connection with Him. Rachel Lemons explores 13 biblical stories in a quest to discover the various facets of an authentic relationship with God. True, it may seem easier to have a relationship with someone you can actually see and touch. But what if God values relationship more than religion?