The other day, a friend at the YMCA mentioned one of her favorite verses to me- Jonah 2:8. Now, I’ve read Jonah several times before, but I have never really camped out on this verse in particular. But, as I read and reread this passage, the Lord opened my eyes to new things in the entire chapter.
I’d like to share the two main things God really impressed upon my heart:
1. Your physical circumstances don’t dictate your spiritual deliverance
The context of Jonah 2 finds Jonah in the belly of a big whale. Not quite the picture of deliverance. However, because Jonah knows in Whom his help is found (2:1, 4, 7), he finds a supernatural peace and freedom. “…But You brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God” (2:6b). Notice the past tense verb…Jonah acknowledged that God already rescued him…from his physical circumstances? No. But spiritually? Yes. Our deliverance might not necessarily look the way the world envisions it to take place. God works in mysterious ways!
2. Worshipping worthless idols can cause you to miss out on God’s grace
Jonah 2:8 says, “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.” In disobeying his call to go to Nineveh, Jonah clung to the idol of self-comfort. Because of that choice, he gave up the opportunity to be blessed by God’s grace. How many times do I forfeit His grace? How many times do I cling to the idol of people-pleasing, or self-comfort, or materialism, and in turn, miss out on all of the many blessings the Lord wants to bestow on me? Or how often do I make my life’s circumstances more difficult because of my own choices to worship another god? God freely gives His grace, so let us not choose to forfeit such a wonderful gift.
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