Everyone Gets a Second Chance: Wisdom From the Story of Jonahনমুনা

Hitting Rock Bottom

Have you ever hit rock bottom? A moment when you felt broken, with countless unanswered questions? A moment when all you could do was pray? If so, Jonah understands.

Yesterday, we saw Jonah ignore God’s wake-up call and make a heartbreaking decision to jump into the sea rather than follow God’s calling. But God didn’t let Jonah die. Instead, He rescued Jonah by sending a fish to swallow him, preserving his life.

In a way, things couldn’t be worse for Jonah. He’s been running from God and making increasingly destructive decisions. Now, he’s stuck in complete darkness somewhere in the digestive tract of a massive fish.

But from another perspective, things couldn’t be better for Jonah. Now, he’s got nowhere to run, no place to hide, and no way to fight against God’s plan for him. His only option is to pray and hope that God will get him out of the mess he’s in.

In the belly of the fish, Jonah learns what it means to depend on God and trust Him with his life.

If you’ve hit rock bottom, you know how painful, confusing, and seemingly hopeless it can feel. But God is still present with you, waiting for you to reach out to Him. And no matter how impossible your situation may be, He’s ready to give you another chance.

God offers us second chances through wake-up calls, but if we keep ignoring Him, He might let us experience rock bottom. In the story of the prodigal son, which we read a few days ago, the younger son got to the end of himself when he had lost all his money and had to share meals with pigs. He needed to hit rock bottom before he was ready to go home to his loving father.

Sometimes we need to hit rock bottom to remember the consequences of running from God and to realize that God is still in control even when our lives feel completely out of control.

Maybe there’s something or someone you’ve been trying to control, but a rock bottom moment of clarity reminds you that you can’t control every variable of your life. Or maybe you’ve been chasing after a promotion, relationship, or substance to give you peace, but after the latest setback, you recognize you’re looking for something only God can provide. Or perhaps your secret sin got discovered, and now you’re forced to reckon with the consequences.

In his worst moment, Jonah remembers God’s power, provision, and desire to give people second chances. He prays a beautiful prayer asking for God’s help, and God responds by making the fish spit Jonah right out onto dry land.

Jonah had made some bad choices, but being freed from the belly of the fish was kind of like a second birth. Now, Jonah had the opportunity to start fresh and try again.

Jonah failed repeatedly. Yet God kept on giving him more chances. And He wants to give you a second chance (or third, or fourth, or … you get it). If you’ve hit rock bottom in some area of your life, call out to Him. He hears you, and He’s ready to help.

If not, let Jonah’s story be a cautionary tale. Don’t wait to hit rock bottom. Stop running away from, hiding from, or fighting against God’s calling on your life. It can be challenging to change directions, but it’s better than continuing down a self-destructive spiral.

Challenge: Have you ever experienced a rock bottom moment? How did God meet you in your lowest moment? Consider how that experience changed your view of God’s love. If you feel like you’re at a rock bottom moment right now, we’d love to pray for you.