Amazing and Amusing Grace

Most of us have heard about Jonah, the prophet. He was the prophet who got swallowed up by what the Bible calls a "fish" and he got a whale of a taxi ride. The name Jonah means dove. God called him to be the messenger dove to a rough, tough, truth-hardened group of people living in the city called Nineveh. Nineveh had sunk lower than a snake's belly in essential character, morality, and human injustice. God said, “Jonah, fly away to Nineveh. Speak to them for me; they are in trouble and desperately need help.”

Instead of being the love dove from above that flew to Nineveh with God's message about repentance, forgiveness, kindness, and restoration, Jonah the dove flew from Nineveh, not to Nineveh. He got on a boat, paid the fare, and sailed in the opposite direction that God wanted him to go. The Bible says, “But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish (Spain) from the presence of the Lord.” 

Jonah didn't like the Ninevites' behavior and demeanor. Sometimes even a God-appointed prophet can misunderstand the nature and character of God. The Bible says, "God is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness, and one who relents concerning calamity." (Jonah 4:2). Jonah said "No thanks" to God. That took him from God's presence rather than into God's presence.

So, here we have a God-appointed prophet who did the exact opposite of what God wanted. It's like that old Western song where the cowboy does something stupid. Afterward, he thought, "I know what I was feeling, but what was I thinking?" Who knows what's going on inside people's heads these days? I saw a poster saying, "Don't bother walking a mile in my shoes. That would be boring. Spend 30 seconds in my head. That'll freak you right out." 

What happened next to 'What was I thinking' Jonah and the boat he was on? The ship encountered a massive storm at sea, which scared all the passengers on the boat nearly to death. The passengers discovered that Jonah was fleeing from the Lord and that his disobedience was causing it. Jonah admits the storm resulted from his issues with the Ninevites and God. 

Isn’t that amazing? When we flee from what God assigns us or asks us to do, it affects others too. Jonah got thrown off the boat by the mob. When Jonah hit the water, he landed right into the mouth of a custom-made super-cruiser fish. Once inside the fish, there was a revival going on. Jonah started calling God for help and pleaded for the same mercy God wanted him to share with the Ninevites. Crisis does that. Jonah prayed, "God, help me, save me, have mercy on me. I'll go to Nineveh if you get me out of this." Does this sound familiar?

Jonah took a three-day taxi ride in the Mediterranean Sea, returning him to his purpose, calling, vision, and destiny. The fish 'vomited' him on an ocean shore near Nineveh. Think of it; fish usually make people sick. This time the person made the fish sick. Once, I heard a dynamic speaker saying the following about Jonah. "At this point, Jonah was so small spiritually that a guppy could have swallowed him."

Lessons: When God fixes a fix to fix you, and you try to fix the fix that God fixed to fix you, God will find another fix to fix you. When you run away from the Lord, you never get to where you want to go and always pay your own fare. 

So, Jonah reluctantly spoke God's message to those in Nineveh. What happened next? The people 'repented and relented' of their iniquity and buffoonery. As a result, God freed them from their self-inflicted bondage. When the people of Nineveh changed direction and revived, Nineveh changed direction and revived. 

You would think this revival should have made Jonah happy. Not in your life. Jonah was still angry at the people and angry at God for forgiving and restoring the city. He wanted condemnation, not liberation. Jonah wanted God to judge them and teach those people a lesson or two. Isn't it interesting that we plead for mercy and forgiveness when we are in trouble? When we dislike those in need or who don't believe the way we do, we want justice. We want God to judge and condemn them. 

What was God revealing to Nineveh and Jonah here? First, that mercy triumphs over judgment. Second, the kindness of the Lord can bring people to repentance. Third, there are consequences to people's choices, but a loving God always uses consequences as a last resort to teach us. Grace recognizes consequences but refuses abandonment. Fourth, it's possible to know about God but not know the nature and essence of God. Lastly, the same thing that brings us down can also bring us up, just like Jonah and the citizens of Nineveh. 

Therefore, we need not cast away our faith concerning Christians who refuse to do God's will. Neither should we give up on a generation of people who won't change direction. God can bring correction and re-direction to His people and repentance and salvation to those who don't know Him. Our present circumstances don't determine where we can go; they merely determine where we can start.

God's bigger than we think, so let's change how we think about God. God is essence-driven first and behavior-driven second. Amazing grace means God's not mad at you; God's mad about you. God catches the fish first. Then God cleans it. 

Thus saith the fish and the dove.