Romancing The Rock

Imagine for a moment, you are Jonah. You have disobeyed God, doing the opposite of what He’s told you, and you have guilt swirling in your gut. The ship you are on is being tossed around by a furious storm and you know it’s your fault — if you weren’t there all these people would not be in danger. So, when the crew ask what can be done to save the boat, with a twist of fear creeping down your back, you tell them to throw you overboard.

As you look over the rails into the churning foam, you know this is the end. Mouth dry, body trembling. God have mercy. The men hurl you overboard with prayers of mercy of their own for killing a man. You sink into the waves, darkness engulfing you. You struggle to stay afloat, but the stormy waves crash over you once again, filling your mouth with brine.

Just when you think you’ve taken your last breath, something strange happens. A huge shadow appears out of the waters and envelopes you. Darkness is all around, but you can breathe. The smell is rank, but you are alive — in the belly of a whale.

Of course, we know that three days later, the whale regurgitated him on the shore and he lived another day to obey the Lord. But God’s grace is always there, even when we think we’ve stepped over the line one too many times.

“The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head.
 To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever.
But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit…I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’” [Jonah 2:5-9 NIV]