Caely Judy is passionate about teaching the next generation about Christ. With a degree in psychology and a minor in art, she has worked with children for several years. She is an artist who uses her work to spread joy and hope.
Our church is currently going through a study on the book of Jonah. As we go through his story, it stands out to me how many times Jonah was given direct instructions from the Lord, yet deliberately went against them. In Jonah 1:2, God commands Jonah to go to Nineveh to preach against their wickedness. We then see Jonah sail far in the opposite direction towards Tarshish. Despite Jonah defying God’s command, God still used Jonah to help lead the men on board the ship to turn to Him.
A beautiful part of this story is that God never gave up on Jonah, even while he was running away.
After God sends a storm, Jonah tells the men to throw him over, where he is swallowed by the large fish. In Jonah 2:2-9 we see Jonah’s prayer to the Lord.
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.
Jonah 2:6
I try to imagine the fear and shame that Jonah may have felt sitting in the belly of the fish. We can easily begin to dwell in the guilt of our sins. Yet God still worked through Jonah’s story. Jonah was in the fish for three days and three nights, which is a parallel to Jesus’ time in the tomb. After the fish spits him up, Jonah goes to Nineveh and shares the message God sent him, finally obeying God.
Throughout the Bible, we see God uses broken people. We can learn from Jonah that when we do run away from God’s call, the next step is calling out to God and seeking the next opportunity to be used for His kingdom.
