Living in the Belly of the Fish

Article By: Bunnie Matherly

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Have you ever felt like Jonah ? Has God called you to do something ? I think we can all relate to Jonah. God called Jonah to cry out against the people of Nineveh.

 

God asked Jonah to bring an ominous message, and what did Jonah do ? He ran !! Are you running from God too ? Do you feel the mouth of the fish swallowing you ? Do you feel, like your living in the belly of the fish ?

 

God will let us run as far as the seas and beyond. His ever watchful eyes are always upon us, waiting and watching ever patient and if need be, he will let us be swallowed by a Fish too, as the case was with Jonah.

 

Therein lies the deeper meaning, God calls us to a task even if we run that task is still waiting to be fulfilled. Its not forgotten by God, we might be able to forget for a time but its always present right in the back of our minds. It sneaks up on us when we least expect it, and believe me, the out come will be the same.

 

God will let us wallow in the belly and let us think and reflect or let us numb ourselves with drugs, alcohol, relationships, ETC, but the time of awakening will come. Its right around the corner there is always a tiny flicker of light/hope in those brief moments of sanity.

 

The men on the ship knew there was a problem, They knew that something was wrong, but they didn’t know what it was. So they cast lots as a means to find the problem, and the lot fell on Jonah. So the men on the ship then knew that the problem was with Jonah. Like those men, Others around us can see and  know that we have a calling in our lives, now isn’t that just something when we get to looking, and really see things like God sees them.

 

It took Jonah three days and three whole nights in the belly of Hell for him to cry out to the Lord and you know what ? The Lord heard his cry just as God hears our cries.

 

God not only watches us, but he listens and waits for us too. Can you imagine how that felt after the fish vomited him up, and spit him onto the shore, of course you can. Are you all wrung out, has all the running and hiding caught up with you too?

 

Its time to Pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off comb our hair and prepare for this wonderful journey called Life, Its time to walk the walk and talk to God.

 

The first step is listening to what God tells us to do, and no matter the out come, the tasks that we are running from, are still at hand, and like Jonah the second go around is now.

 

Lets not forget that Jonah did what God asked him to do, which was to warn the people that God was not pleased, and that destruction was at hand.

 

lo and behold the people repented of their wicked ways and God repented of his anger against them, which simple means, that God changed his mind when it came to destroying them.

 

Even after being in the belly of the fish, Jonah still had lessons to learn, and just like Jonah, we too still have many lesson's to learn. But we have to get going, before we can get anywhere at all, and therein lies the problem, because so many of us are Still “Living In the Belly of the Fish”

 

God Bless You,

Bunnie Matherly