We all know the story of Jonah, right?
- God tells Jonah to go to Ninevah
- Jonah says "No!"
- Jonah hops on a ship headed to Tarshish
- God sends a big storm
- Jonah gets thrown overboard to stop the storm
- Jonah gets swallowed by a great big fish
- Jonah repents
- God makes the fish spit Jonah out
- Jonah ends up going to Ninevah after all to tell the people about God.
Sounds pretty familiar, right? Right.
I was reading Jonah this morning, and I noticed something that I had never noticed before! I've always thought of Jonah's punishment as being swallowed by the big fish. That's how we are taught in Sunday School, and because of that, that's how I've always thought of it in my head. After Jonah is thrown overboard, let me show you what the text really says:
"But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights."
~Jonah 1:17 (emphasis added)
The big fish was part of the LORD's provision in Jonah's life. Without that fish, Jonah would have died in the great depths of the ocean. Without that fish, Jonah would not have had the privilege to repent and acknowledge the importance of God's plan. Without that fish, Jonah would not have been able to tell the Ninevites about the Sovereign LORD.
I think sometimes we see our own lives in the same way we tend to read Jonah. Those things that are painful, messy, annoying, or a nuisance in our lives are seen as "from the Devil." I think in reality, sometimes, they are provisions from God to teach us, mold us, and use us in ways that would not have been possible otherwise. Sometimes the "big fish" in our lives are not bad things, but are really God's saving grace at work in our lives.
Practical application? Next time you think you have been "swallowed by a big fish," so to speak, thank God for his provision in your life. Be thankful that you are still breathing. Be thankful that you may be swallowed up, but you are NOT consumed, because God is with you through it all.
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