faith unfaded

I have a precious grandson named Jonah who has me wrapped around his little finger. I absolutely adore him.

But this post is about a different Jonah…one whose life was pretty similar to my own. We often think of Jonah from the elementary school version, drawing pictures of a tiny man inside the belly of a great big fish. We think of his journey and perhaps take away the moral of the story: obedience.

But we miss some of the deeper elements of this book.

Jonah caused harm to others in his disobedience, nearly causing the innocent men on the boat in which he was running from the Lord to perish.

It’s not true that your disobedience hurts only yourself. You always end up hurting others as well.

Jonah declared his relationship with God when he realized the storm affecting the others was his fault. He told them to throw him overboard but they tried to help Jonah anyway, futilely fighting the storm. After they threw him overboard and the storm abated, they marveled at the power of Jonah’s God.

People are always watching. Whether they try to row you ashore or cast you overboard, the presence of God is made known through you. Jonah was disobedient to the Lord but honest with the men about what was happening.

God prepared a fish for Jonah’s safety where he stayed for three days and three nights.

I’ve talked before about my three YEARS of existing. I did the bare minimum and had no life whatsoever. I might as well have been in the belly of a whale, a great fish, or a coffin. But God had prepared that cocoon for me because He knew when I emerged there would be no more disobedience.

When God puts you in a place that feels like you’ve been swallowed by a giant fish, you appreciate the freedom once you are out.

And you will be vomited out of GOD’S mouth if you are lukewarm. (Revelation 3:16) The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. If you are indifferent to God, if you can take Him or leave Him, you can guarantee He will tell you to depart from Him on Judgment Day. (Matthew 7:23)

Jonah was right about what was going to happen when he finally ended up in Nineveh. The people repented and God withheld His wrath. This made Jonah angry.

We hear these verses and think Jonah must not have been a very godly prophet. Yet we watch the news and rejoice when a murderer is finally caught and sentenced to death. Many Christians were angered when Jeffrey Dahmer found salvation in prison. We want people to pay for their crimes and get what they deserve.

If we all got what we deserved, Heaven would be a lot quieter.

Rejoice over the salvation of sinners and share the message of Christ with everyone, even those you don’t think deserve to hear it.