And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. (Jonah 1:17 ESV)
Fear Not... Then Enjoy the Fish
Getting swallowed by a great fish would not be an enjoyable activity. Without context of this story, we might be worried about ole Jonah. A fish belly would not be a pleasant place to spend three days and three nights.
But Jonah’s context actually makes the belly look much better!
Jonah was drowning. The sailors had thrown him overboard, and Jonah was sinking. Before they tossed him in the ocean, it seems that the whole experience of God’s wrath had led them, somehow to faith! (Jonah 1:16) But Jonah was in a hopeless, impossible situation.
The fish was not more tragedy, it was the hope of salvation.
Our troubles can often be just like Jonah’s fish. Financial ruin saves us from pride. Illness saves us from self-sufficiency. Relationship issues drive us to reconciliation. And all of those things, like Jonah’s, drive us to the Messiah.
For Jonah, it was the Messiah-yet-to-be. For us, it is the Messiah of yesterday, today, and tomorrow!
And anything that drives us to Jesus is grand! Even if it hurts.
Fear not, then enjoy the fish.