Reason #408
We've talked about Jonah the past two Sundays. I've known Jonah's story for a long time. In fact, I think it's one of the top 3 bible stories that all kids learn. When I was in elementary school, my church kids' choir did a play about Jonah and I still remember part of the song we sang about Jonah's instructions to go to Ninevah. So, in saying all of that, this story is not a new one to me. This hasn't been my first time to read it or know the details. However, like with everything else, God always shows me something new, and this time it was about Jonah's "whale of a ride" (although I know it was really a big fish).
Jonah is so relateable. We may not see it at first, but he's just like us. He has this title of prophet but I would dare say Jonah acts more like a modern day man. Stubborn, disobedient, hard headed, selfish, jealous and bitter. Jonah struggles with the same things we do. And so God gives him this task to go proclaim the good news in Ninevah. It seems quite clear what he needs to do, yet Jonah turns and heads the opposite direction. Next thing he knows, he is on a ship being tossed about in the middle of a storm only to find himself thrown overboard by the ship's crew and now he's completely submerged in the raging waters. Fighting to stay alive, probably panicking just a bit, not sure what the next step is, and it seems death is about all he can expect. But God sends a fish, a big, big fish to rescue Jonah. Truthfully, that's kind of weird and amazing all at the same time. And don't you know Jonah was completely caught off guard. Feeling as if he was at the end of his life, being swallowed by a sea creature, and yet he is somehow alive. God had a plan for Jonah, and He had things worked out. There was a purpose to be fulfilled and Jonah was the man to do it. And so God, in his great mercy, spared Jonah from death. Jonah had been so blatantly disobedient and yet God's compassion was so great that He spared Jonah's life and give him a second chance rather than allowing death to overtake him, which is really what he deserved.
I wonder what Jonah did for those three days. I can't imagine what the ride was like. Smelly, uncomfortable, dark, wet, unpleasant in every form of the word. But I wonder, deep down inside, if Jonah was actually thankful for this. Because even though death might have seemed like a good idea intially, maybe being spared was the better option. And I wonder what Jonah was expecting. Did he think he would die in that fish? Did he expect to actually escape from its stomach? Did Jonah feel despondent and even more discouraged now than when he was running from God and floundering in the raging sea, or did Jonah have a tiny glimmer of hope because at least he was still breathing? Did Jonah even try to escape? Did he try to crawl his way out or beat on the side of the fish in hopes it would someone eject him? I don't know how he felt, what he thought, or what he did, but God knew. And from the pit of despair, from complete darkness, in the middle of a huge ugly mess, Jonah called out to God. In repentance and desperation, asking to rescued, and He was. God ordered the fish to spit Jonah out, and it did. On the shores, on dry land, Jonah was safe, and God was in control.
But that's the thing, there was never a moment where God was not in control. From the second Jonah decided to be disobedient and run, through the storm, during the fish ride, and after it was all over, God was in control. God was aware of Jonah the whole time, keeping His eye on Him and making sure He was safe. And maybe Jonah felt a little embarrassed at his actions. Maybe being stuck inside a fish for 3 days isn't the most glamorous story. It's pretty strange and far fetched! But God arranged for this to happen. Jonah didn't know it, but God was working and moving to put the pieces of this plan together for Jonah. And God gave Jonah a "whale of a story" (again, I know it was a big fish... I just can't help myself). Stuff like this doesn't happen everyday. Not many men get swallowed whole by a gigantic fish and live to tell about it. Many a men have died at sea, and Jonah could have been one of them. But God had a different plan for Jonah and it involved some strange and unexpected surprises. However, don't you know when Jonah told this story, people listened. Don't you know this story really proved the point of how powerful, loving and gracious Jonah's God was? And so maybe, just maybe, God gave Jonah this fish story for a reason. And hopefully, Jonah could look back and see God's provision, protection, and the answers to his prayers. Even though it wasn't fun while it lasted, I have to think that surely Jonah looked back and was thankful for the experience because through that, He learned so much about himself and about God, and He truly got to experience God's power in a unique way.
God gives us fish stories. All of us. At just the right moment, that fish comes. We may be grateful for it, or we may be wondering why in the world we're stuck there. It may catch us off guard, or it may be complete relief. But God will send those fish for us. Things to protect us from the storm, to save our lives. And it might not be easy. It might not be pleasant. We may find ourselves in the dark a lot longer than we would prefer. We may be beating on the wall trying to get out, or we may find ourselves too depressed and discouraged to even move. But here's what I'm learning from this story and my own experiences. Those fish are God's mercy. Those fish are the glimmers of hope. Those fish mean God isn't done with you yet and that there is more in store for you than what you've been through and where you currently are. Those fish are God's way of getting your attention and getting you safely back on the right track. Those fish are for your own good. And we may not see it at the moment, we maybe be totally frustrated, angry, and despondent, but we can look back and see God's providence. We can see how He was actually protecting us, teaching us, and preparing us for what lies ahead. And the thing is, even when we're stuck inside that fish, God is with us. Constantly aware of where we are, He has a reason for putting us there and so we must simply trust. We may be there 3 days, 3 weeks, or 3 years, but God has a reason and it's always far better than what we know at the time.
God saved Jonah's life so that He could save a whole city. Thousands of people were spared because God showed great compassion by sending that fish. And so I'm thankful for those fish. I'm thankful for how they really do save our lives. And no matter how hard things may get, how bad it may seem, being spared really is the best option because it's then that you get to really experience the incredible blessings of God, and it's then that you can look back and see His mighty hand working through it all!
#408 - For the big fish He sends to save our lives and give us stories worth telling.
"Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights." - Jonah 1:17
Jonah is so relateable. We may not see it at first, but he's just like us. He has this title of prophet but I would dare say Jonah acts more like a modern day man. Stubborn, disobedient, hard headed, selfish, jealous and bitter. Jonah struggles with the same things we do. And so God gives him this task to go proclaim the good news in Ninevah. It seems quite clear what he needs to do, yet Jonah turns and heads the opposite direction. Next thing he knows, he is on a ship being tossed about in the middle of a storm only to find himself thrown overboard by the ship's crew and now he's completely submerged in the raging waters. Fighting to stay alive, probably panicking just a bit, not sure what the next step is, and it seems death is about all he can expect. But God sends a fish, a big, big fish to rescue Jonah. Truthfully, that's kind of weird and amazing all at the same time. And don't you know Jonah was completely caught off guard. Feeling as if he was at the end of his life, being swallowed by a sea creature, and yet he is somehow alive. God had a plan for Jonah, and He had things worked out. There was a purpose to be fulfilled and Jonah was the man to do it. And so God, in his great mercy, spared Jonah from death. Jonah had been so blatantly disobedient and yet God's compassion was so great that He spared Jonah's life and give him a second chance rather than allowing death to overtake him, which is really what he deserved.
I wonder what Jonah did for those three days. I can't imagine what the ride was like. Smelly, uncomfortable, dark, wet, unpleasant in every form of the word. But I wonder, deep down inside, if Jonah was actually thankful for this. Because even though death might have seemed like a good idea intially, maybe being spared was the better option. And I wonder what Jonah was expecting. Did he think he would die in that fish? Did he expect to actually escape from its stomach? Did Jonah feel despondent and even more discouraged now than when he was running from God and floundering in the raging sea, or did Jonah have a tiny glimmer of hope because at least he was still breathing? Did Jonah even try to escape? Did he try to crawl his way out or beat on the side of the fish in hopes it would someone eject him? I don't know how he felt, what he thought, or what he did, but God knew. And from the pit of despair, from complete darkness, in the middle of a huge ugly mess, Jonah called out to God. In repentance and desperation, asking to rescued, and He was. God ordered the fish to spit Jonah out, and it did. On the shores, on dry land, Jonah was safe, and God was in control.
But that's the thing, there was never a moment where God was not in control. From the second Jonah decided to be disobedient and run, through the storm, during the fish ride, and after it was all over, God was in control. God was aware of Jonah the whole time, keeping His eye on Him and making sure He was safe. And maybe Jonah felt a little embarrassed at his actions. Maybe being stuck inside a fish for 3 days isn't the most glamorous story. It's pretty strange and far fetched! But God arranged for this to happen. Jonah didn't know it, but God was working and moving to put the pieces of this plan together for Jonah. And God gave Jonah a "whale of a story" (again, I know it was a big fish... I just can't help myself). Stuff like this doesn't happen everyday. Not many men get swallowed whole by a gigantic fish and live to tell about it. Many a men have died at sea, and Jonah could have been one of them. But God had a different plan for Jonah and it involved some strange and unexpected surprises. However, don't you know when Jonah told this story, people listened. Don't you know this story really proved the point of how powerful, loving and gracious Jonah's God was? And so maybe, just maybe, God gave Jonah this fish story for a reason. And hopefully, Jonah could look back and see God's provision, protection, and the answers to his prayers. Even though it wasn't fun while it lasted, I have to think that surely Jonah looked back and was thankful for the experience because through that, He learned so much about himself and about God, and He truly got to experience God's power in a unique way.
God gives us fish stories. All of us. At just the right moment, that fish comes. We may be grateful for it, or we may be wondering why in the world we're stuck there. It may catch us off guard, or it may be complete relief. But God will send those fish for us. Things to protect us from the storm, to save our lives. And it might not be easy. It might not be pleasant. We may find ourselves in the dark a lot longer than we would prefer. We may be beating on the wall trying to get out, or we may find ourselves too depressed and discouraged to even move. But here's what I'm learning from this story and my own experiences. Those fish are God's mercy. Those fish are the glimmers of hope. Those fish mean God isn't done with you yet and that there is more in store for you than what you've been through and where you currently are. Those fish are God's way of getting your attention and getting you safely back on the right track. Those fish are for your own good. And we may not see it at the moment, we maybe be totally frustrated, angry, and despondent, but we can look back and see God's providence. We can see how He was actually protecting us, teaching us, and preparing us for what lies ahead. And the thing is, even when we're stuck inside that fish, God is with us. Constantly aware of where we are, He has a reason for putting us there and so we must simply trust. We may be there 3 days, 3 weeks, or 3 years, but God has a reason and it's always far better than what we know at the time.
God saved Jonah's life so that He could save a whole city. Thousands of people were spared because God showed great compassion by sending that fish. And so I'm thankful for those fish. I'm thankful for how they really do save our lives. And no matter how hard things may get, how bad it may seem, being spared really is the best option because it's then that you get to really experience the incredible blessings of God, and it's then that you can look back and see His mighty hand working through it all!
#408 - For the big fish He sends to save our lives and give us stories worth telling.
"Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights." - Jonah 1:17