Living in a Fish

Jonah 2:8-9

"Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD."

Good morning Zebras,

Wednesday's lesson at camp is about Jonah. Another famous story that we all know.

Jonah was a Jewish prophet who was told by God to go to the city of Nineveh and tell the Gentiles who lived there to repent. But Jonah didn't want to go to Nineveh so he went by boat to Tarshish instead. The Lord caused a great wind to come upon the ship forcing the sailors to reluctantly throw Jonah overboard where God had conveniently provided a large fish to swallow him. After three days in the belly of the fish Johan changed his mind and agreed to go to Nineveh and the Lord commanded the fish to vomit Jonah out on dry land.

There is more to the story, this is only the first two chapters, and I encourage you to read it if you haven't in awhile but this is the part that always seems to capture every one's attention because nobody wants to end up in the belly of a whale.

But maybe we are already there. We have just decorated it so nicely we don't notice.

This morning I was praying about how to make such a well known story alive and relevant to high school girls. I mean they are teenagers. God hasn't told them to go to Nineveh. He probably hasn't given them any great thing to do that they have refused.

And then God spoke.

God's discipline does not just apply to the great tasks in life it applies to the small ones as well. And just because He hasn't thrown any of us in a fish doesn't mean He isn't dealing with our disobedience.

Love,
Jill