Reasons for the Fish

Thanks for joining us this Sunday! We hope you are blessed by the service today.

When we think about the story of Jonah, it is easy to view the great fish as Jonah’s punishment. Jonah disobeyed God, ran in the opposite direction, and was thrown into the sea. Then, “the LORD provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights” (Jonah 1:17). But the fish was not simply a punishment for Jonah’s rebellion. It was something God arranged, prepared, ordained, and orchestrated for a purpose.

God was willing to discipline Jonah because He wanted to teach him, bring him to maturity, and redirect his life. The great fish was uncomfortable, frightening, and probably the last place Jonah ever imagined himself being, but it was also evidence of God’s mercy. God had not abandoned Jonah, even after Jonah deliberately disobeyed Him.

The first reason God prepared the great fish was to rescue Jonah from drowning. Jonah had been thrown into the depths of the sea, surrounded by waves and tangled in seaweed. He described himself as being as far down as a person could go, with the gates of death closing behind him. Yet in the middle of his distress, Jonah cried out to God.

Jonah prayed, “I was as far down as a body can go, and the gates were slamming shut behind me forever, yet You pulled me up from that grave alive, O GOD, my God!” Jonah may have thought his life was over when he was thrown into the sea. He may have even believed dying would be better than obeying God and going to Nineveh. But when death became a reality, Jonah called out for help, and God heard him.

Why would God rescue someone who had been so deliberately disobedient? Because Jonah had been called by God, and he had not yet completed his assignment. God still had unfinished business with Jonah. His calling was not only to preach to the people of Nineveh. Jonah was also being called to know his God, trust Him, and submit to His will.

We should ask ourselves the same question: What unfinished business do we have with God? There may be something He has asked us to do that we have avoided, delayed, or refused. We may think we have successfully escaped the assignment, but God is often still working behind the scenes to bring us back to the place where we are willing to listen.

The second reason God prepared the great fish was to return Jonah to Nineveh. God did not change Jonah’s mission simply because Jonah ran from it. Jonah’s disobedience created a detour, but it did not cancel God’s purpose for his life.

God knew what was best for Jonah, and He also knew what was best for the people of Nineveh. It was best for everyone involved that Jonah lean into the hard thing, obey God, and go where he had been sent. Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us that God knows the plans He has for us, plans to give us hope and a future. His plans may lead us into uncomfortable places, but He sees what we cannot see and knows what our obedience can accomplish.

When God has a purpose for our lives, He will continue working to accomplish it. That does not mean we have no choice or responsibility. It means God loves us enough to pursue us, correct us, and redirect us when we begin moving away from His will. Jonah ran, but God continued calling him back.

The third reason God prepared the great fish was to reach Jonah’s heart. God designs classrooms for His students that are attention-getting. Jonah’s classroom was dark, slimy, filled with digestive acids and decomposed sea life, and constantly in motion. It was an almost unbearable situation, but it was the place where God finally had Jonah’s undivided attention.

Our classrooms may look different, but the lesson can be the same. Sometimes we find ourselves in a situation where we feel as if something has to change. We have tried to fix everything in our own strength, followed our own plans, and exhausted every option we can think of. When we finally reach the end of ourselves, we become ready to listen and learn.

God was doing major surgery on Jonah’s heart. When we are on the operating table of God, our response must be prayer. Jonah had passed up numerous opportunities to pray. He did not pray when God first gave him the assignment. He did not pray before boarding the ship to Tarshish. He did not pray while the storm threatened everyone around him. It was not until Jonah ended up in the belly of the fish that he finally called out to God.

We often do the same thing. We try everything in our own strength until we realize that we cannot do it, and then we pray. We wait until we hit the wall or reach rock bottom before turning to the One who has been there the entire time. The important part of Jonah’s story is that Jonah did pray. In his distress, he called out to God, and God answered him.

The fish was not proof that God had rejected Jonah. It was proof that God was not finished with him. What looked like the end was actually God’s rescue plan. What felt like punishment was also protection, redirection, and an opportunity for Jonah’s heart to change.

Whenever we run from God’s call or His commands, we can be certain that He will work to redirect us back into His will. Jesus said in John 6:38, “For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent Me, not to do My own will.” As followers of Christ, that should also be the desire of our hearts. Instead of waiting until we reach rock bottom, we can choose today to pray, listen, and submit to God’s will.

The question is not simply whether Jonah escaped the sea. The deeper question is whether God reached Jonah’s heart. Perhaps the uncomfortable place you are facing is not evidence that God has left you. It may be the very classroom He is using to rescue you, redirect you, and teach you to trust Him.