Extreme Measures

“17 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” Jonah 1:17



We can all relate to the story of the stubborn prophet Jonah. He was a man called by God to proclaim the news of divine judgment to the city of Nineveh. Instead of obeying the Lord, Jonah decides to run in the opposite direction far away from Nineveh. Eventually, the Lord gets the prophet to turn around through a violent storm and a big fish. After being violently ejected from the mouth of the fish, the Lord comes again to Jonah and says, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.” The will of God has not changed for Jonah. He is still called to obey the Lord and has a second opportunity to do the right thing by the grace of God. What strikes me as interesting when I read about Jonah is the extreme measures that the Lord takes in teaching the prophet some valuable lessons as well as the ministry to Nineveh. Don’t laugh at the storm, the fish, or the vomit on the shore because God just might have to bring us through some pretty crazy things to test and teach us the lessons of trust and obedience. Let’s just hope that He doesn’t have to use a fish to get us to follow Him.



Walking in grace, Pastor George