Give Thanks: Jonah & The Whale Part 1 | Jonah 1:1-17

Today we’re gonna be diving into the story of Jonah in the Bible. He was a prophet, a mailman for God with a message that he did not want to deliver. We find ourselves in the middle of a series called Give Thanks, and next time we’re gonna see the interesting place where Jonah is able to give thanks to the Lord his God. But first we meet him where he’s got his Nikes on because he is running away from God. Have you ever felt like you wanted to do that? You felt like maybe God tapped you and you’re like, I think you’ve got the wrong guy or gal? I’ve been there before. Oh man, it’s hard sometimes, but as my husband told me once, I never forgot this, the safest place to be is in the center of God’s will. Let’s dive in.

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Transcription:

Ahoy matey! Welcome to the Bible for Busy People. I’m Erica, and today we’re gonna be diving into the story of Jonah in the Bible. He was a prophet, a mailman for God with a message that he did not want to deliver. We find ourselves in the middle of a series called Give Thanks, and next time we’re gonna see the interesting place where Jonah is able to give thanks to the Lord his God. But first we meet him where he’s got his Nikes on because he is running away from God. Have you ever felt like you wanted to do that? You felt like maybe God tapped you and you’re like, I think you’ve got the wrong guy or gal? I’ve been there before. Oh man, it’s hard sometimes, but as my husband told me once, I never forgot this, the safest place to be is in the center of God’s will. Mm. 

All right, so here we go. We’re gonna be right in the middle of your Bible, kind of like last time. We’re gonna begin in Jonah chapter one, verse one, here we go. “The Lord gave this message to Jonah, son of Amittai: ‘Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.’ But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the Port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish.” He bought a ticket and went on board hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish. And it’s impossible, you can’t escape from the Lord because he is the Holy Spirit. He is everywhere, there is nowhere you can go where you could flee from him. Read Psalm 139, it’s so good if you’re interested in that, okay, “So the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart. Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship. But all this time, Jonah was sound asleep down in the hold. So the captain went down after him. ‘How can you sleep at a time like this?’ He shouted. ‘Get up and pray to your God! Maybe he will pay attention to us and spare our lives.’ Then the crew cast lots to see which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm. When they did this, the lots identified Jonah as the culprit. ‘Why has this awful storm come down on us?’ They demanded. ‘Who are you? What is your line of work? What country are you from? What is your nationality?'” Man, they were just pounding Jonah with questions. “Jonah answered, ‘I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.’ The sailors were terrified when they heard this for, he had already told them he was running away from the Lord. ‘Oh, why did you do it?’ They groaned. And since the storm was getting worse all the time, they asked him, ‘What should we do to you to stop this storm?’ ‘Throw me into the sea,’ Jonah said, ‘and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.’ Instead, the sailors rode even harder to get the ship to the land.” Very merciful of them. “But the stormy sea was too violent for them and they couldn’t make it. Then they cried out to the Lord, Jonah’s God, ‘O Lord,’ they pleaded, ‘don’t make us die for this man’s sin. And don’t hold us responsible for his death. O Lord, you have sent this storm upon him for your own good reasons.’ Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once. The sailors were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him. Now, the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.”

Now, next time you and I are gonna read about what happens inside that fish and what Jonah does. But I wanted to point out another verse. We’re actually gonna go kind of near the end of your Bible to 1st Corinthians, Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth, and we’re gonna pick it up in verse 13, in just a moment, I’m gonna put my finger here in the Bible. Because the Lord provides, he is Jehovah Jireh, our provider. There is a wonderful song called Jireh by Maverick City Music that you should totally Google today, it’s a wonderful song. God will provide for you regardless of whatever situation you find yourself in, even when you turn your back on him. Look at Jonah ran away from him, and God still provided for him and rescued him from the raging sea. So here we go, this is what Paul says in 1st Corinthians chapter 10, verse 13, I love this. “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow you the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” I love that God gave Jonah a second chance, another chance to do his will to complete the mission, and next time you and I meet, we’re gonna see how grateful Jonah turns out to be. So until then, remember, you are really loved. 

Thank you so much for listening to the Bible for Busy People. If you need prayer or you’re ready to go a little deeper in your faith, we’ve posted some resources for you in our show notes. We’d love for you to share this podcast with a friend and leave us a review. It helps us reach even more people with the hope of Jesus. This podcast is part of Purposely, a podcast network designed with practical podcasts to help you find and live in God’s purpose for your life. Find more podcasts that will recharge you at OnPurposely.com.