The Whale

Series: Wind of God

9.3.25 Jonah 1:3-4 ESV

I don’t know about your experience with God, but my experience tells me running from God is not a good plan.

Jonah found that out as well.

In Jonah 1:3-4 we read, “But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord. But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.”

Jonah went to Tarshish to flee from God.

We know that Jonah was given the task of going to Nineveh to warn them to turn away from their sins. Apparently Jonah did not like the idea of issuing a warning to Ninevah because he found a ship going to Tarshish.

He was on the run from God.

I can tell you from experience running from God is not a good plan. Even though we may not like the plan God has for us, for our own wellbeing we need to work out our misgivings we have about the plan.

The world, and even some believers seem to have the notion that God wants what He wants and we are called to do God’s bidding. That’s only half the story. While God does have a plan, it’s a plan FOR us. Not only does the plan accomplish God’s purpose for the world and the church, the plan is custom-made for us. God is in the multi-purpose business.

Once we accept the magnitude of God and God’s plan and purpose we can begin to understand God’s love for the world and for us.

Jonah hadn’t reached that point yet. So, like many of us he needed an object lesson. His lesson included a whale. Honestly, I think being swallowed into the mouth of a whale is really creepy, but it did the trick for Jonah.

The prophet relented and decided to get on board with God’s plan.

Jonah’s story fascinated me as a child because the visual aid of a whale was fun to draw. That may seem trivial but giving children time to use their creativity uses a specific part of the brain that will help them remember the lesson all the days of their lives.

While I did not remember the problem Jonah had, I remembered the whale.

I didn’t remember the reason Jonah ran but I remembered the whale.

I did not remember the names of the towns but I did remember the whale.

I’m not there yet but when my memory fails me and a great great grandchild draws a picture of a whale, I hope to remember there is a story about a whale.

My mom is 97 as I write this and I would be surprised if she doesn’t remember the whale. She may be old but she’s ‘sharp as a tack’.

Remember the whale. You can look the story up on the computer if you remember the whale in the Bible.

Deborah

acrazyjourney.com