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Now Yahweh's word came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 'Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach against it, for their wickedness has come up before me.' But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid its fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh. Jonah 1:1 WEB

God told Jonah to go preach to Nineveh, but Jonah fled in the opposite direction, boarded a ship, and then sailed away to Tarshish. Soon a terrible storm overtook them and after much debate, Jonah was cast into the stormy sea in order to calm the storm.

As he was drowning, with seaweed wrapped around his head, a great fish that God had prepared for this occasion swallowed him. After sitting there in the dark for a while, like the prodigal son, Jonah came to his senses. He prayed to God while sitting inside the belly of the fish, and it spit him out on dry land.

This time Jonah headed to Nineveh, and his preaching ended up saving 120,000 people. It seemed that everyone in the book of Jonah had done what God wanted, even the fish and the heathens. Everyone except His own prophet, Jonah.

Has there ever been a time that the Lord wanted you to do something, but instead you did the exact opposite? I have. We usually know right from wrong, but choose the wrong anyway.

If you are like me, then you have probably been in the storm and you felt like you were drowning, tangled up in bad stuff, and ready to throw in the towel. We start to think 'If only I had listened, then I would not be here.'

Just remember, it is not over or too late to make a change. You can pray to the Lord from the dark place that you are in and He will restore you, put you back on the path, and then use you to save others, just as He did with Jonah, and just as He has done with me.

Prayer: Heavenly Father I thank You for Your mercy and grace, and for sparing me from the things that I have well earned. Please set my feet on the solid rock and give me a clear vision going forward. Help me to stand stedfast and fulfill Your will in my life, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.

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