Jonah went AWOL. He willfully went absent without leave from God's call to preach the gospel to Nineveh. Yet Jonah was no Judas. He was neither an apostate, nor a deserter from faith in God's redemption. Yes, he departed from his duty to obey God's Word, so the LORD prepared the ship and the sea, the wind and the waves, to discipline a disciple gone AWOL. But all the while, the unseen hand of God kept His wayward prophet secure for a second chance at obedience… and saved for all eternity. "… Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the fish's belly," Jonah 2:1 (NKJV). The great fish prepared by God was an agent of preservation, not punishment. So it is with God's prodigal people today; He secures His wayward disciples in the shelter of His mercy… and uses His great power to keep His own. This Sunday, we'll continue our study of Jonah, and the great fish used to display God's mercy in preserving His chosen ones.
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Steve Massey is the pastor of Hayden Bible Church of Hayden, Idaho. He also writes about matters of faith for The Spokesman-Review of Spokane, Wash., where he previously worked as an editor and reporter. He and his wife, Pam, have two grown children, Jake and Sarah.
