Jonah Is An Amazing Story

 

     I have always enjoyed the story of Jonah. As a child I was fascinated by him being swallowed by a giant fish. As an adult I have come to realize just how complex the story really is. Here are a few things that have amazed me about the story.

     First, we have this man of God who was respected by the people, and yet, when God told him what he wanted Jonah to do, he ran. He was determined to go as far away as possible. He thought he could leave and be out of God’s sight. We know that God knows everything and he is everywhere. What was Jonah thinking?

     I have to say that I cannot be too hard on Jonah, because I know what God’s word says. Yet, there are times I want to do something else. It may be that I just feel too tired to pray, too lazy to help my neighbor, or to scared to share God’s word. You may be shaking your head right now, but I believe we all have our Jonah moments. Sometimes God steps in and gets our attention.

     A giant fish swallowed Jonah. Jesus said he would make the apostles fishers of men, and he did. They listened to their master. For Jonah, it was the fish that was the fisher of men.

     He was in the belly of the fish for three days. People will tell you the story is not true. How can a man survive in the belly of a fish for three days. Let me tell you. Jesus spoke of Jonah and his experience. I believe Jesus knew what he was talking about. I believe the story.

     The Ninevites repented. The people that Jonah was afraid of did the opposite of what Jonah feared. They repented of their sins, and this irritated Jonah. Too often we have our own expectations of justice. I once had someone tell me she was praying for God to make the workman on her roof fall off the roof. The man didn’t fall. We are called to love and forgive.

   There are other things in the story that amaze me, but these were just a few of them. From this we can learn to respect God’s amazing power, to listen to His commands, and to love and forgive others. The story of Jonah is bigger than the fish that swallowed him.

 

Have a blessed day,

Layman Ray