A lesson learned from Jonah

Written by David DiCrescenzo on . Posted in FAITH

I was in church on Sunday and heard a guest pastor deliver a great message concerning the story of Jonah and maintaining an attitude of gratitude.  If you are unfamiliar with the story, Jonah was a “minor prophet” who was commanded by God to go to a city called Nineveh, which was the last place that Jonah wanted to go, (kind of like how I might feel about going to Canada) so he decided to go as far away in the other direction as he could.  I guess perhaps he figured that God was only “suggesting” the journey and would somehow forget that He commanded him to go to.

Anyway, to make a long story short, he boarded a ship and before long a violent, life threatening storm developed, and Jonah found himself thrown overboard by the crew, at which time he was swallowed by a large fish of some kind and remained in the belly of this fish for three days and three nights before he was vomited out onto the shore.  

In spite of the Scriptural support of this story, some people, including some theologians, will suggest to you that this is some sort of myth or parable because no fish exists in the Mediterranean Sea that is large enough for the job, however I believe it is clearly true for several reasons.  

First, does anyone really think that the Creator of all things, the God of the entire Universe, the Great I Am could not create a creature on the spot for His own purposes..?!  Next, aside from the Cross, the “fish” is probably the biggest symbol of Christianity and Salvation.  The three days and three nights that Jonah spent in the wretched, hellish darkness of a fish’s belly protected him from drowning*, (*maybe, because it is entirely possible/likely that he perished and was resurrected while inside the fish before being vomited out) which reflects directly to the three days and three nights that our Lord spent in the bowels of hell which is supported in Matthew 12:40 where Jesus is recorded as saying, “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."  NKJV

You might be asking, so what...?!

Glad you asked.  As many of my readers know, a little more than two years ago I started reporting on the story of a woman, a sister in Christ, and now a dear friend, who has been raked over the coals by some very corrupt and high-profile lawyers who in turn were supported by a very corrupt judicial system, and I thought of her immediately during the message I heard.  I thought of her because while many of my friends are currently forging through some serious storms, I know hers very well and I know that for a long time it looked like there was no way out, and I believe that like Jonah, she needed and got safe haven and has metaphorically been in the safety of the hellish belly of a fish while riding out a long and severe storm.  I might add, I believe she is close to being redeemed from that hellish environment very soon.  Stay tuned.

And then I really thought about it and realized that while I do believe the story of Jonah is absolutely true, it also serves as a metaphor we can all draw upon because at any given time, we are all either entering a storm, already in a storm, or exiting a storm.  The storms occur to test us and keep us strong.  I know for a fact that while my friend still has a way to go before she reaches home port, the winds are diminishing, the clouds are breaking up, the light is finally illuminating her situation, and she is emerging stronger from her private storm, renewed and ready to help others navigate theirs.  

I also know that regardless of the storms any of us face, and whether we hear the audible voice of YHWH or not, all of us can take a lesson from Jonah and simply do as God commands via His written word and understand that He always has our best interests in mind, and even in the midst of a raging storm we can find shelter in the most unlikely of places.

Anytime you find yourself focusing on how big your storm is, remember how big our God is, take shelter and find comfort in His loving embrace, and remain grateful of how much He loves you.

Finally, remember the words of Isaiah 54:17

“But in that coming day no weapon turned against you will succeed. You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the LORD; their vindication will come from me. I, the LORD, have spoken!”

Blessings my friends.