I called to the LORD out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.
Jonah has been asked by God to go to Nineveh to prophesy against them because they are so wicked. Ninevites are Israel’s great enemies. Ancient Nineveh is located in modern day northern Iraq, near the city of Mosul. God told Jonah to go to Nineveh, and Jonah when the opposite way and boarded a boat to escape, anywhere except towards Nineveh.
God would have none of this, and he created a big storm. All of the other men on the boat prayed to their gods, and once they woke Jonah up, asked him who his god was, and would he pray to him. Jonah explained that his god was The God, who made heavens and earth. This made the other men on the boat more afraid, what with God’s power. Jonah explained that it was because of him that the storm was raging, and if they simply threw him overboard the storm would cease. And so they did. God sent a large fish to swallow Jonah, where he remained for three days.
From the belly of the fish, Jonah sings a song of thanksgiving. I called to the Lord in my distress, and he answered me. Hmm. Jonah tells the others to throw him overboard, because Jonah’s the reason the storm is raging. By this, I take it that Jonah thought that God was so powerful that God could create the storm, and that God could make it cease. Then Jonah prays from the belly of a large fish, and I presume that Jonah believed God could hear his cries. Both of these indicate a deep faith and trust in God, an all-powerful, all present God.
So if that’s the case, why did Jonah think he could outrun God? As I’ve told people in the discernment process, resistance is futile.
Reading about this behavior in Jonah it is apparent it’s a ridiculous venture, to try to escape a God in whom Jonah has faith. And yet, don’t we all do it? Try to outrun God, when we don’t like what we believe God is asking us to do? To be clear, I’m not necessarily talking about the direct whisper or booming voice of God, directing us to do something. In my experience, God isn’t that overt. But I do believe that we know if we’re doing the right thing, or if we’re contemplating a good thing that seems really difficult.
We go the opposite direction, somehow thinking that God isn’t already there. But once we get to our hiding spot and we discover it’s not such a great spot after all, we pray to the very God we were trying to escape. Wait, what? Wouldn’t it be easier if we just acknowledged that resistance is futile, that God is already there, and we’d be better off not wasting our time and energy trying to flee? Of course it would be easier. But we’re not built like that, I fear.
We want to plot our own course and to take the path of least resistance, at least sometimes. Sometimes, I want to have a break from the harder, righter path. The great news is that God is waiting for me in the belly of the fish.
This morning, I’m thinking about God’s omni-presence, even in the belly of a big fish.
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