Jonah 1 Following Jesus When You’d Rather Run AwaySample

Swallowed up into Safety

Now here’s the part of Jonah's story that we all remember most. The part where Jonah gets swallowed up by a big fish. He got what was coming to him, right? He disobeyed, and now he’s fish food. Isn’t this sometimes how we approach our tough circumstances? Oh, I should’ve seen this coming. God is out to get me.

God was not trying to get back at Jonah; God was trying to bring Jonah back.

The whale was God’s provision of a way out for Jonah, a way back to God. A way back to safety. A way back for a second chance.

This is the heart of our Father. This is who He is. He is a God who will chase you down, send a storm, stop you in your tracks, do whatever it takes to wake you up and bring you back.

You are reading this because God is running after you today. And He won’t stop! He’s got no limits. Like a Shepherd going after His sheep, God is coming after you. He is insistent, persistent, relentless, He doesn't get tired or give up.

Jonah is in the belly of the fish thing for three days and three nights. What does this remind you of? How is the gospel of Jesus similar to Jonah chapter 1?