Chapter 2 of the book of Jonah is packed with powerful stuff. This past Sunday we unpacked what God was doing in Jonah’s life and discovered how it is relevant and applicable in our lives thousands of years later. Here is a snapshot of what we learned:
In chapter 1 we saw that God spoke and Jonah ran. We found that God pursued Jonah and gave him an opportunity to turn around and go back in the direction God had sent him. When Jonah refused, God lovingly applied a little more pressure and Jonah was tossed overboard in rough and stormy seas. In the final verse of chapter 1 we meet the star of the story - the BIG FISH!
“Now the LORD provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”
Jonah went from the frying pan (man overboard!) to the fire (swallowed by a huge fish!)… Jonah had a situation; he was drowning. He had an affliction which was his separation from God. So Jonah opened a line of communication with God by praying. God responded by performing a reclamation of Jonah that resulted in Jonah’s salvation. What is your situation, what are you drowning in? What BIG FISH has you in its belly? All that separates you from God is… you.
Follow Jonah’s path to salvation;admit you have a sin situation, recognize you are in affliction without God, open a line of communication and tell God what he already knows - that you’ve messed up or sinned. Then invite God to do a reclamation project in your life and believe he will do it. As Jonah says, “salvation comes from the LORD” (Jonah 2:9).