I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, and He answered me.” Jonah 2:2  

The story of Jonah is one of the most interesting if not fascinating accounts in the Bible. Jonah did a lot of soul-searching in the belly of the fish, which he should have done before he decided to run to Tarshish. But we all can identify with Jonah – for we all have looked to run away from G-d. Sometimes life just goes badly – sometimes we think our sin is too great — and so we look to run away from G-d instead of running to G-d. Is there sin in your life? Of course there is because we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of G-d. In light of Jonah’s blatant disobedience, G-d had to do something drastic to catch his attention and lead him to repentance.

What can you learn from this situation? The people of Nineveh were enemies of G-d’s people. Jonah thought they should be judged instead of given a second chance – and Jonah knew that G-d was slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He obviously needed a lesson in sharing G-d’s love, mercy and Grace for all people. After all, Jesus has come not for the healthy, but for the sick. As such, Jonah had time to contemplate the nature of G-d while the stomach acids of the fish stung his eyes.

Next time you find yourself in a “belly-of-a-whale” problem, don’t forget to ask the hard questions – looking at your own life, understanding that our place is at the foot of the cross of Jesus, and then figuring out what is to be learned from each situation. I do not believe that everything happens for a reason, but I do firmly believe that we can find meaning in every situation – good and bad.

Pastor Dave