Text: Jonah 2:8-10 (CSB) – “Those who cherish worthless idols abandon their faithful love, but as for me, I will sacrifice to you with a voice of thanksgiving. I will fulfill what I have vowed. Salvation belongs to the Lord.” Then the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.”
We are in a study of the book of Jonah! I have entitled our study JONAH – THE PERVERSE PROPHET. This little book is only 4 chapters long, but filled with great spiritual truths! We will continue to think today about Jonah’s Prayer.
Those that put their trust in anything except God will forfeit the only means of grace ... they will be lost.
Perhaps Jonah was now getting a feeling of how God was feeling about the lost souls in Nineveh ... Jonah would need this in his preaching at Nineveh!
“A preacher and an atheist barber were once walking through the city slums. Said the atheist barber to the preacher: "This is why I cannot believe in a God of love. If God were as kind as you say, He would not permit all this poverty, disease, and squalor. He would not allow these poor bums to be addicted to dope and other character-destroying habits. No, I cannot believe in a God who permits these things."
The minister was silent until they met a man who was especially unkempt and filthy. His hair was hanging down his neck and he had a half-inch of stubble on his face. Said the minister, "You cannot be a very good barber or you would not permit a man like that to continue living in this neighborhood without a haircut or a shave."
Indignantly the barber answered: "Why blame me for that man's condition. I cannot help it that he is like that. He has never come in my shop; I could fix him up and make him look like a gentleman!"
Giving the barber a penetrating look, the minister said: "Then do not blame God for allowing these people to continue in their evil ways when He is constantly inviting them to come and be saved. The reason these people are slaves to sin and evil habits is that they refuse the One who died to save and deliver them."
The case was clear to Jonah ... IT IS GOD, OR IT IS NOTHING! Pity those who trust in idols. Those that ignore Christ lose more than just joy in this life; they forfeit eternal life with Christ ... their greatest loss!
As we continue in his prayer we see a change in Jonah. He doesn't sound like a bitter Jonah now does it?
"I will sing a song of thanksgiving!"
Amazing how God's grace can change a bitter heart ... all this while still in the great fish's gut! Jonah promises a renewal of his vows before God ... you know:
· To serve Him faithfully.
· To guard against a bitter spirit.
· To not live for just self.
· To recognize God's true place in his life...
· To understand that God is the source of life and grace! SALVATION!
What had changed at this point? Certainly not the circumstances, Jonah was still in the belly of the great fish ... BUT JONAH WASN'T RUNNING AWAY FROM GOD ANYMORE ... In fact, he was RUNNING TO GOD!
The ride from God was over ... "plop plop, fizz fizz; oh what a relief it is!" Back now where he started from, not quite as sweet-smelling as before, but God would allow clean up and then ministry! Of course, when he told his Elders his fish story they likely didn't accept the quoted size of the fish! Some things probably never change!
However, a man bleached out by the stomach acids, and smelled like fish would give credence to his story. The point here: GOD STILL LOVED HIM ... AND WAS GIVING HIM ANOTHER CHANCE! We serve a BIG GOD, the God of second chances!
You see when you stop running away from God and run TO HIM you will run smack dap in the middle of all HIS GRACE, LOVE, FORGIVENESS, etc.!
God can change the hardest heart ... when it turns toward Him ... SO WHY RUN AWAY ... RUN TOWARDS HIM!
Running away FROM God only secures more pain and emptiness ... and sometimes greater bitterness than running TO God!
Running TO God will land you in His arms of forgiveness, mercy, grace, love, joy, and eternal life!
Who would be crazy enough to run away from that ... certainly not someone like you, RIGHT? You don't want to be the "one that got away!"
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