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

Stuck in Sin?

Yesterday, we left Jonah on a ship to Tarshish, running to the ends of the earth to escape God’s calling.

Now, if you were God, what would you do next? Maybe you’d say something rational like, “Oh well, I’m done with Jonah. Let me check my list of prophets so I can find a better one to send to Nineveh.” But God doesn’t.

Jonah had failed his first test; but in the Book of Jonah, everyone gets a second chance. God isn’t done with Jonah. For now, Jonah is asleep below deck, waiting to get to Tarshish. Maybe he thinks he’s gotten away with disobeying God and that running away from Him is no big deal.

The same thing can happen to us. Running from God can feel like a relief, especially when He’s called us to do something uncomfortable. But the high doesn’t last, because sin is so destructive. Eventually, the consequences catch up with us.

For Jonah, the first consequences come in the form of a storm sent by God to wake Jonah up, literally and spiritually.

Have you ever had a “wake-up” moment? A moment when you recognized the toll that running from God was taking on your life? Maybe a conversation or a moment of clarity made you realize you couldn’t keep living the same way.

This particular divine wake-up call doesn’t work for Jonah, but it does send the sailors into a panic. They throw the cargo overboard to try to keep the ship afloat as they cry out to their various gods. They don’t know exactly who sent the storm, but they know it could only come from a divine origin.

Eventually, the frustrated captain wakes Jonah and demands to know where he comes from and which god he worships. Jonah tells the captain that he’s running away from the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land. This is meant to be tragically funny. Jonah has chosen to run from the God who made the sea—on a boat.

But Jonah eventually puts the pieces together and recognizes that he’s the problem.

So what should Jonah do now? He knows the God of second chances. So he could ask for forgiveness, and the storm might stop. But he doesn’t. God’s given Him a moment of clarity, but he doesn’t stop running. He becomes even more self-destructive.

He demands that the sailors throw him overboard to drown. This isn’t a noble, self-sacrificial act. No, this is an attempt to keep running from God. Despite their misgivings, the sailors agree and toss Jonah into the sea. The storm stops, and the sailors worship God.

Jonah and the sailors meet the God of second chances, who gives them a divine wake-up call—a moment of clarity that allows them the option of changing their direction. The sailors respond with worship, turning to God. But Jonah keeps running.

Maybe Jonah thought he was too far gone for God’s love. Or maybe he thought he couldn’t change. Either way, we don’t have to imitate his tragic choices.

Challenge: Is God trying to give you a wake-up call in some area of your life? Maybe there’s an unhealthy relationship that either needs boundaries or needs to end. Or maybe you’ve been giving into a bad habit so often that you’ve stopped feeling convicted. Today is the day to stop ignoring your wake-up call. Make a change, take a stand, and follow God’s calling.