Have you ever been in a situation where only you and God understand what you’re going through? Being stuck or trapped is never a good position to be in. There’s nothing like having your back against the wall with no one to turn to, especially when you are the one who put yourself in the situation in the first place. Often when we find ourselves in such a predicament, our souls are tormented, we feel like everything has reached a stop, things are falling apart without our consent, we are emotionally, physically, mentally unstable, and spiritually drained. Often, our first response to such a predicament is to run, hide, disconnect ourselves from the world and do what most of us do best: allow ourselves to be swallowed up by guilt and shame. However, I believe God wants us to see this condition from a different point of view. So, let’s consider Jonah chapter two for a moment.
Usually, when we read about Jonah, we see it from a critical standpoint. Jonah was that runaway, stubborn, heartless, and angry servant of God. His actions and reasonings indeed denote all these traits of character. Nonetheless, there is a part of Jonah’s story that we can often relate to; the part when Jonah found himself stuck in the belly of a great fish. With the intent of running away from a bad situation (the boat), Jonah found himself in a much worse situation.
A messy one! So, let’s dive into it a little!
Jonah fled from the LORD, who gave him a message of repentance to deliver to the people of Nineveh. Instead of obeying God, Jonah decided to go on a vacation. He went on a boat and headed to Tarshish. So, God simply sent a storm Jonah’s way to get his attention and remind him who is in charge. And since God can’t perform small, the storm got other people’s attention to the point they were questioning and casting lots to see who is responsible for this calamity. They found out Jonah was the problem in the boat, so they confronted him. Jonah felt guilty and asked the people to throw him in the sea to stop the storm. Although Jonah asked them to do so, I don’t think Jonah knew that this next move would cause him to be the meal of a great fish. From outside looking in, we might wonder why Jonah asked these people to throw him in the sea. After all, that was a crazy thing to do especially during a storm. Thus, Jonah was probably trying to figure out how to handle the situation, especially since he got himself in it. Jonah tried to take matters into his own hands and made a quick decision because the people on the boat were about to perish because of him. Jonah realized that his vacation was really screwed, and he ended up spending three days and three nights in the belly of a great fish (whale) which was not the kind of ‘Inn’ he was planning for. Jonah got into some serious trouble all alone.
Let’s think it through for a moment. God commanded a big fish to swallow Jonah, which means he had to pass through the fish’s esophagus, which can only fit a tennis ball. Yet, Jonah made it to its belly without losing a body part, and the fish’s esophagus remained intact. That was a miracle from God, in itself. Also, Jonah probably noticed the bones of some fish that did not make it alive in the whale’s belly, but he made it through safely. So, Jonah was probably more grateful that he made it in one piece knowing what he truly deserved.
Now, Jonah was in this confined space, this dark situation where nobody could help him. Suppose the people who threw him into the sea wanted to help him now that the storm grew calm. They still wouldn’t be able to because they probably didn’t even know Jonah got swallowed by a great fish. And even if Jonah wanted to scream for help, nobody could hear him. And suppose the people knew Jonah was inside the fish belly, they probably thought he was dead. Overall, Jonah was trapped, and his back was against the wall. Therefore, Jonah was in a horrifying situation where only God could help him.
Despite Jonah’s wrongdoings in the story, we can still learn something from him, Jonah didn’t allow fear to cripple him or guilt and shame to overwhelm him and reject the only One who could help him. instead, he prayed to the One he knew could help him, who is God. We don’t know how uncomfortable it was for Jonah there, but we know that he prayed. Jonah started remembering the goodness of the Lord. The beautiful part is that God heard him and delivered him despite what he has done, which tells us that you may find yourself in a situation, where your coworkers, friends, family, children, spouse, can’t hear you; they may not understand you, give you the help you need, or even notice that you need help. However, God can reach you perfectly right where you are. No matter how deep and wide the situation may be, even if it is in a fish’s belly. You can still call on God from that place and He will get you out. The Bible says that Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights, which means Jonah fasted. Jonah could have given up when he saw that nothing happened after the first day of prayer, but we know that he did not quit because God heard and answered him, and the fish eventually spat him out on dry land. This shows us that God is always nearby. “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:8). Therefore, quitting is never an option no matter what the situation may be. We need to call upon the LORD no matter where we are, what we’ve done, and however messy it may be.
Jesus loves you!
SCRIPTURES
“Seek the LORD while He may be found, call on Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the LORD, and He will have mercy on them, and to our God, for He will freely pardon.” Isaiah 55:6-7
“From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. He said: ‘In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered me.’” Jonah 2:1-2
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