jennifer-roberts Over the last few years, I have listened to several biblical teachings on the book of Jonah. All of them have helped me to better understand the dangers of rebellion, the beauty of obedience and the value of repentance.
I encourage you to read Jonah which is found in the Old Testament of the Bible. It is a short book of only four chapters, but it is loaded with lifechanging lessons. If you are unfamiliar with Jonah’s true story, here it is in a nutshell.
Jonah is a prophet. His job is to tell people about God. God gives Jonah a travel assignment that he refuses. In other words, Jonah rebels. Instead of following God’s directions, Jonah does what he wants to do which ends badly. Jonah’s disobedience not only affects him, but it causes problems for others around him. At one point in the story, Jonah finds himself in a dark, isolated place that God has provided just for him. This is the part of the story on which I’d like to focus.
In Jonah 1:17 the Bible says, “But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.”
You will have to read Jonah for yourself to understand the entire story, but this verse is key in Jonah’s experience and is relevant for us today.
By the time Jonah is swallowed by the great fish, Jonah had already disobeyed God and this was his time out. Even in Jonah’s rebellious state, God tried to get Jonah’s attention and He still took care of him.
Notice that the Bible doesn’t say, “at this time a great fish just happened to be swimming by…” It says “the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah.” Our great God, the master of all creation saw Jonah and He provided exactly what Jonah needed precisely when he needed it.
I can only imagine what it must have been like to be inside a fish for three days and three nights. What did it look like? What did it feel like? And most importantly, what did it smell like? Jonah’s accommodation was not the Ritz Carlton, but it served its purpose. I believe that God used the fish to get Jonah’s attention, to keep Jonah safe and to give Jonah time and space to make a better choice.
Inside the belly of the beast, Jonah made an important decision. He decided to pray.
Jonah, 2: 1 says “From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. He said: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me, from the depths of the grave I called for help and you listened to my cry.”
If we are truthful, we are all like Jonah at different points in our lives. We hear what God is telling us to do but if the directions don’t appeal to our senses, we say, “No thank you” opting instead to do what we want to do. It may, at times, appear as though we are successful in our disobedience, but this perceived success only lasts a little while. We can’t dupe God but we can delay the blessings that come with obedience when we choose to disobey.
Sometimes God takes drastic measures to get our attention and set us on the right course or reset us on our current course. God loved Jonah so much that He provided a great fish during Jonah’s rebellion. Like the loving parent that He is, God gave Jonah instructions, observed Jonah disobey and then provided the appropriate discipline in the midst of Jonah’s disobedience. And the same God that showed up for Jonah thousands of years ago, shows up for you and me today.
Have you ever resisted God and his directions? Have you ever said “No” when God said “Go?” Have you ever been in the belly of your very own beast? Has God ever provided a dark, isolated place where He gave you the opportunity to decide to follow the directions that He was giving?
The belly of the beast is a hard place to be, but the good news is that we are not alone. God is there with us waiting for us to come to Him. Even in our darkest and most uncertain seasons, He is beckoning us to obey Him, but we must first decide to call out to him, to repent of our sin and to ask Him to help us go where He says go.
You may be in the belly of your very own beast right now. You may have married a person that God did not tell you to marry. You may have been financially irresponsible, and it is costing you a clean conscience. You may have emotionally or physically cheated on your spouse and you can’t sleep at night. You may have a secret addiction that is controlling your life and making you miserable. Your situation may be dark and lonely.
Turn on the flashlight of God’s word. Look around. Has God provided a “great fish” to keep you safe during this tumultuous season of your life? Is he presenting you with opportunities that don’t appeal to your natural senses but will get your attention, provide protection and give you the opportunity to make a better choice?
If this is where you find yourself because of your disobedience and rebellion, I encourage you to do like Jonah did and like I’ve done. Call out to the Lord. Repent of your sin and choose to follow Him. He is our loving Savior and will welcome you with open arms when you choose to obey. Your circumstance may not change instantly but you will be taking a step in the right direction.
