Scripture: Jonah 1:17 Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Devotion: The verse for today is arguably the most famous part of Jonah. Being swallowed by a huge fish and staying in there for several days certainly makes for an interesting story. But, if you are anything like me, our perception and view of the fish is skewed.
Let us not overlook the first few words from verse seventeen, “Now the Lord provided…” It is not as if some giant fish came from the deep and thought of Jonah as a snack. Instead, the fish was a part of the Lord’s divine plan. After Jonah admitted that he was fleeing from the Lord and decided to fully surrender to Him by being cast into the middle of the sea, the fish came as a mercy from God.
Had the fish not appeared, Jonah would simply have been out in the open water with no boat and no supplies. While many questions come to mind about the fish and how exactly it all went down (pun intended), we don’t have answers for them. What we do know is that the Lord provided.
Do you think that Jonah would have assumed that in God’s plan of providence for him, a big fish swallowing him would be included? Probably not. And this thought causes me to pause and wonder about that for myself. How often is the Lord providing for me in a way that is unexpected? Perhaps it is so unexpected that I haven’t even recognized it as His provision.
I know from Scripture that the Lord’s mercies are new every morning. I know that His grace is sufficient for me, that He has good plans for my life, and that He will never leave me or forsake me. So, when I surrender every area of my life to Him, am I trusting Him to provide in whatever way He sees fit?
In whatever way the Lord chooses to hold me and sustain me, whether it be the crazy equivalent of a giant fish or something a bit more ordinary, I can trust Him. And in the same way that all these truths apply to my life, they apply to yours. You can rely on the fact that God has grace upon grace for you, good plans for your life, and will never leave you. He is worthy of our lives and our surrender.
Reflect:
- What are some unexpected ways that the Lord has provided for you or been with you?
- Are there any areas of your life that you need to fully surrender to the Lord, trusting Him with it?