Most every child learns about Jonah and the whale somewhere along the way. Even if they only seldom attend a Sunday School class or Vacation Bible School, there’s a better than average chance they’ve heard this well-known Bible story.
Though some insist it never happened, Jesus Himself referred to it as a historical event. Ironically, those who do believe its reliability sometimes argue over its details. Was it a whale or a big fish? Because the Biblical words are less precise than our English ones, we’ll have to be content with the understanding that it could have been either or neither.
In fact, if God didn’t create a special one-off creature for this assignment, one of the best candidates He could have employed is a whale shark, which sounds like both. This critter is technically a fish, but because it is the largest fish specie, it is whale-sized and there are actually reports of people being swallowed by them and living to tell about it, though not for three days. Whatever it was, God miraculously preserved Jonah within the tummy of that aquatic beast and taught him some very important lessons while he was there.
Jonah was running away from God’s calling by sailing toward Tarshish. Whenever we run from God’s commands or callings, we also run from Him. You can’t have Him without His commands and assignments. God actually used this sea creature to bring Jonah closer to Himself and to conform him to His perfect will. While lounging in the whale’s belly, Jonah prayed. (What else are you going to do in a whale’s gut?) As he did, he finally submitted himself to God’s plan admitting his own sin and agreeing to fulfill God’s calling to go evangelize his hated enemies in the city that would become Assyria’s capital.
What is your whale? What has God used or what is God using to bring you closer to Himself? What circumstance, person, animal, book, or other tool has He appropriated into His service for your ultimate blessing? For Jonah, it was a whale, but for Peter it was a giant catch of smaller fish. For Moses it was a burning bush and for Jacob it was an all-night wrestling match.
Imagine how Jonah felt going through those fish lips. Imagine how scared and fearful he had to be. I’m certain he thought this would end his earthly life. Many times, that’s exactly how we feel when we go through the experiences that end up bringing us closer to God. It may be a serious illness, an impossible employer, financial disaster, or marital divorce. God is able to use these and many other situations to help us submit to His holy will that we may have previously been, like Jonah, resisting tooth and nail.
Although I’m certain Jonah expected this creature to be his demise, it was actually God’s means of saving him. The whale was a finned version of God’s grace. In fact, Jonah closed his prayer by saying, “Salvation comes from the Lord (Jonah 2:9).” God has many tools He can use to draw us closer but His love is a handle that fits them all. He desires the ultimate good for every person and knows what it will take to bring that about. Ultimately, our proud hearts can still stubbornly resist even God’s strongest methods but He wants all to come to Him and be saved.
You may be going through a whale of a time right now. Like Jonah going through the whale’s throat, you may even be confident this circumstance will do you in. It may or may not, but either way, take courage knowing that God loves you and can work through even the worst things in our lives to bring us closer to Himself and to result in our ultimate blessing. Let’s submit to His will and cooperate with Him for His glory and for our good. Blessings, George