THE BOOK OF JONAH is one of my Biblical favorites—and not just because it's short. Rather, it shows me the variety of inspiration that can come from four brief chapters. The story is simple. God tells Jonah, an Old Testament prophet, to go to the Assyrian city of Nineveh and preach to the people there. Perhaps because the Ninevites have been enemies of Jonah's people—attacking and enslaving the Israelites—Jonah resists this assignment. Instead, he heads in the opposite direction, boarding a boat to the city of Tarshish. When a storm comes up at sea, the sailors decide Jonah is somehow to blame and throw him overboard. A "great fish" then swallows Jonah, and Jonah spends three days in the fish's belly praying for God to deliver him. After the fish spits Jonah up onto dry land, Jonah goes to Nineveh and preaches to the Ninevites. His efforts are successful. The people of Nineveh give up their violent ways for a more spiritual life.
Although it might seem like a stretch, a wayward prophet and a vomiting fish have a lot to offer 21st-century thinkers. I've turned to Jonah again and again for guidance and inspiration. Here are some examples.
For comfort. When I was a child, the Jonah story spoke to me of God's love and presence. No matter where I found myself—even in the belly of a whale at the bottom of the sea—I knew God would be there, ready to deliver me from harm. When I was about seven, I had a bad bike accident while staying with my aunt. Although my mom couldn't be there to sing hymns and pray with me, the story of Jonah was there to comfort me. I remember feeling God's love all around me and understanding that, like Jonah, there was no place where I could be separated from God. This realization calmed me down and brought healing. My aunt was surprised at how quickly the cuts from the accident closed up.
For guidance. As a young adult looking at job options out of college, I thought about Jonah. His insistence on going his own way, instead of following God's plan for him, created quite a mess. I didn't want to be like that, so I asked for God's guidance in my career. Many times I felt a clear sense of direction about what to do and where to go. And every step has felt like a progressive one. To me this has been proof of God's ministering love or, as the book of Psalms calls it, His "tender mercies."
For help in relationships. I'm often struck by how easily people can regard each other as undeserving or inferior. This is the pattern Jonah followed when he thought of the Ninevites. And it's an attitude I had at one point in my career when a business partner was being unscrupulous and putting our business at risk. I had a hard time feeling anything but disdain for this man. But thinking of Jonah, I realized his story foreshadowed Jesus' Christly instruction: "Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you. Bless them that curse you and pray for them which despitefully use you." Luke 6:27, 28 I prayed to let go of the tremendous resentment I felt, and realized that I could distinguish between this man's behavior and the man God knew and loved. Nothing could be wrong with that image and likeness of God. This lifted the resentment and the situation was quickly resolved through a legal mediation. Our paths parted naturally.
For encouragement. The story of Jonah gives me hope that people will eventually do the right thing, even if they're not inclined to initially. I see a lot of evidence that people want to do what's right, at least until it seems too difficult, too scary, too daunting. But then there's Jonah—the prophet of second chances. He gives me hope for myself and anyone else who sometimes needs a second opportunity. His story speaks to every heart that wants to do God's will and finds—incredibly—that the courage to do so is already part of the package God supplies. Through Jonah I've learned that everyone has the capacity to know God, to hear His direction and act on it.
Four little chapters. Filled with ideas that can help people solve even the whale-sized challenges that cross their paths. Thank you, Jonah.
