In the previous installment of Jonah's exciting life, God told him to go to the city of Nineveh to tell them to stop their evil ways, but Jonah didn't think it necessary, so he used his frequent-flyer miles to go somewhere else. As a result, he's currently being digested in the belly of a giant fish.
That's where we begin, with Jonah trying to strike a deal with God. It goes without saying he's realized by this point he screwed up--how much lower can you go than the small intestine of a sperm whale swimming at the bottom of the ocean?
But Jonah's got an idea; he's going to call for help.
Please understand, this whole ordeal probably happened before S.O.S. was invented, so for Jonah to call for help and be heard was pretty miraculous.
Even though Jonah was in pretty much the worst possible situation he could fathom, yet he didn't blame God for messing his life up. Despite his situation, Jonah took full responsibility for it all and accepted God had allowed him an in-depth look at fish guts for a reason.
Chances were, Jonah had no clue what God was planning to do with him but he was thrilled because he knew whatever God did would be for the glory of God.
So what does Jonah do? He rejoices!
One of his biggest revelations came when he recognized God's grace surpassed whatever any other "god" was capable of. It seems Jonah understood the God he believed in would forgive him if he repented from his sins and turned back to God.
He knew beyond all doubt God would save him! How about that!
You know how God works in mysterious ways? It seems God let this whale get beached so it could start heaving until, lo and behold, it barfed Jonah onto the shore. Personally, I wonder how often Jonah took a bath if he gave the giant man-eating fish thing indigestion, but that's beside the point.
The point is simple. No matter what you've done, God will welcome you back with open arms if you stop doing stuff God doesn't want you doing. He will forgive you, and know that he will save you.
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