P-R-O-V-I-D-E-D

So I was reading the Book of Jonah this morning...we all know the story of the man in the whale for three days and nights. But this particular morning a specific word POPPED off the page and smacked me in the face...lol

But the Lord PROVIDED a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.
Jonah 1:17 (NIV)

The previous scripture sets up the scene. Jonah, not wanting to go to Nineveh, gets on a ship in the opposite direction, a violent storm hits, the sea is crashing and thrashing this poor ship around...the other people on the boat don't want to toss Jonah overboard as Jonah told them to do...I mean, come on, there is not much hope for Jonah if he is thrown overboard. Finally, they bite the bullet and throw Jonah overboard THEN THE LORD PROVIDES!

Not an inkling of any rescue plan for Jonah until the sailors did their part. Then the Lord sends a FISH...a fish...this is good, how?!? Again, God provides! But not before Jonah humbles himself and call on the name of the Lord. The Lord makes the fish vomit Jonah out on dry land...yum, who can say that they have been vomited out of a fish?

See, God does take the ugly, gross messes we get ourselves into and make them beautiful.

Jonah finally gets to Nineveh to do what God has called him to do. The Ninevites turn from their evil ways. God is compassionate toward them then Jonah gets ANGRY WITH GOD! What?!? Did I miss something? Jonah is angry because God had compassion for the Ninevites...didn't God just have compassion for Jonah? Jonah could not comprehend the extent of God's mercy.

Lessons Learned:
1) Do my part...then God will provide.
2) It is very easy for me to point the finger at someone and express my opinon of what the proper punishment is for them but I always want God to be merciful when discipling me.
3) I don't deserve the amount of mercy and compassion that God has given me...pretty much all of it.

So, go ahead...Take the leap, the climb, the jump, the too-crazy-to-even-say-out-loud step that God has been calling you (me) to take and see what HE PROVIDES!

Much love -

Niki

P.S. Isn't good to know you can come back?