In the Belly of the Whale

..."And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights." - Jonah 1:17

Every so often I wake up in the middle of the night for no reason, and then I can't get back to sleep. Sometimes I pray. Sometimes I think. Sometimes God gives me things to ponder. Such was the case last night. I don't know why, exactly, I happened to think on Jonah. Perhaps it was that I heard about it in one of my daughter's "Chair Talks" posted on the internet a week or so ago. She and one of her pastors were discussing Jonah as one of her all-time favorite Bible stories. Lots of lessons there, for sure. Whatever the case, Jonah and his stint inside the belly of the whale was what was on my mind. (And, just to be clear, the Bible doesn't refer to it as a whale... simply a big fish, but for our purposes today, I'm going to refer to it as a "whale.")

I don't know about you, but I have found myself a bit more unsettled of late. I feel a little more discouraged and disheartened lately too. I was doing pretty well at the onset of the concerns with COVID and all the social distancing. I felt certain we could all collectively "power through" and come out the other side stronger... better. I had even begun to hit my stride and was just starting to settle in to my new routines about the time this new wave hit. Add to that the concerns for all that is sad and disappointing happening in our country right now, and it's easy to see why people are complaining more of stress and depression.

Sometimes it can be overwhelming. It can make you feel like you're alone in a deep, dark place... and there's no way out. Maybe that's why Jonah came to mind. You can't get much deeper and darker and more alone than in the belly of a whale. Here's the thing about Jonah. He was solely responsible for his predicament. He disobeyed a direct order from God. Instead of heading where God told him, he caught a boat going in the opposite direction, and God had to do something about it. God sent a storm, and it was a doozy! Apparently Jonah's conscience wasn't bothering him, because while the sailors were bailing out the water and praying to their gods to save them, Jonah was fast asleep in the hold.

After casting lots, it came to the attention of the crew that Jonah was the culprit. By Jonah's own admission, He had angered God, and there was no way out of this storm but to throw him overboard. The crew begged forgiveness, gave in to Jonah's advice, and hurled him over the side.

I never really focused on the terror Jonah must have felt in that moment... sinking into the depths of the sea... realizing his death was imminent. (We get some insight into Jonah's thoughts in his beautiful, heartfelt prayer of chapter two.) Just as the dread compliance of his situation set in, and he was about to surrender the air in his lungs, salvation appeared. A great fish "appointed" by God came and swallowed Jonah. Jonah might not have seen it as salvation. It might have felt more like "out of the frying pan and into the fire," but it was a reprieve nonetheless... and it gave Jonah time to think, to reflect, to repent... and to get right again with God.

That's what all these "belly of the whale" moments do. They give us time to think. To reflect. To repent. To turn back to God. To move toward a right relationship with Him again. I have had some of those moments. Perhaps you have too. Right now the whole world is experiencing one of them. Our nation is experiencing one of them, and if that weren't enough, amidst these trials, life continues on... people still lose jobs, get sick, have accidents, die... unrelated to and independent of all the other tragedies we are facing.

It can be overwhelming. It can be discouraging and disheartening. It can feel like we're all alone in a deep, dark place with no way out. Thing is. We're not alone. We never were. Neither was Jonah, not even when he was sinking. God was right there to rescue him. The great fish He "appointed" was Jonah's salvation. It was his physical salvation at first, but it soon became his spiritual salvation. It was God's "time-out" for Jonah, and it was a doozy too!

A sleepless night can offer opportunities to think and reflect, but it's nothing compared to three days and nights in the black, the cold, the stench, and the seaweed to give you some real clarity. That's what I need right now... clarity. I think that's what our country needs... our world. Being in the belly of the whale isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's a "time-out" to reflect, to rethink, to re-prioritize, and to return to the God who loves us, and who hopes for so much more from -and for- His beloved children.

Jonah may have thought the whale his living coffin at first. In reality, it was his life boat. God had Jonah's situation and Jonah's life in total control. God had a plan for Jonah, and God wasn't through with him yet. After three days, the fish spit Jonah out onto dry land a changed man. The transformation wasn't fully complete, but he was definitely headed in the right direction. God-willing, this will be what happens for the world... for this country. While we are in "the belly of the whale" let's make the most of our time. Let's reflect, repent, and move back toward the Lord. When we come out of this darkness into the light, let us pray to be a changed people. The transformation will be far from over. It will be something we will continue to have to wrestle with until we meet the perfection of Heaven, but at least we can be headed in the right direction.

"And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land. Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 'Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.' So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord." - Jonah 2:10-3:3