Unexpected means to an end

If you found yourself in the belly of a whale, do you suspect you'd be kind of glad to be free from that 'chamber of horror'? The account of Jonah continues with the fish 'vomiting' him up onto dry land. Do you know how close to dry land a whale can actually get? It usually isn't right up to the shoreline, is it? When God does miracles to redeem us from the folly of our rebellion and sin, don't be surprised when he does things completely outside of the realm of 'normal'!

Then the Lord spoke to Jonah again and said,  “Go to that big city Nineveh, and say what I tell you.” So Jonah obeyed the Lord and went to Nineveh. It was a very large city. A person had to walk for three days to travel through it. Jonah went to the center of the city and began speaking to the people. He said, “After 40 days, Nineveh will be destroyed!” (Jonah 3:1-4)

The call was difficult enough, but the 'journey' to actually act upon that call was likely more difficult than Jonah ever imagined. Sometimes the 'journey' into obedience is harder than it looks, but rarely do we encounter what we 'imagined'. I doubt Jonah thought he'd encounter the raging storm, fearful sailors, a big fish, and the three day walk into the center of one of the largest metropolises of the day. He likely imagined a routy crowd, not very willing to listen to him, much less take heed when he warned them of God's plan for their land.

Instead, he delivered the message, hard as it was, and do you know what happened next? "The people of Nineveh believed God. They decided to stop eating for a time to think about their sins. They put on special clothes to show they were sorry. All the people in the city did this, from the most important to the least important." (vs. 5) They fasted! They thought about the way they had been living their lives! The contemplated the truth of their misguided choices! They believed God!

The steps of obedience we take may seem 'out there' at times, but when God calls us to do something 'out there', he has prepared to do great things through those steps. Jonah likely had no clue their response would be to hear him out, much less turn their hearts to God and seek their redemption. We never know when God will use in unexpected ways and in ways 'bigger' than our imagination can concoct. All that is required is our obedience. Just saying!