S221P2 – In his hands: the waters

Jon. 1:15-17

So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.  Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.  And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah.  And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

As we review the mighty power of God displayed in his control of all his creation, we see one common point or purpose in these events.  The storm that had begun on the seas and tossed this ship to and fro came from God.  It was of such a great magnitude that the men could think of nothing to do but to cry out to their gods for help.  Once Jonah admitted that he had been running from the Lord and they tossed him into that raging sea, the storm stopped.  This made those men realize who the one true God really is, and they feared and worshipped him.  God moved to show who He is, and his placing Jonah in the belly of that fish had the same purpose.  It would serve to bring repentance. 

The scriptures are full of examples of God using the power of water to bring people to a place of standing in awe of him.  He showed who He is to all the world when He fulfilled his word by bringing a great flood upon the Earth.  He showed who He is to the Egyptians when He caused the Red Sea to part then collapse on their army.  He showed who He is to the disciples in the boat when He brought the storm then calmed it.  He showed who He is when He changed the pots of water to pots of wine.  Here, we see God controlling not only the waters but its inhabitants.  He showed his authority not only to the men in that boat who had not known him but to the servant who was destined to fulfill his plan.

No man should be able to survive three days in the belly of a large fish.  From a natural perspective, the man should have drowned before being digested by that animal.  What God did here was to interrupt and control so many different physical processes that we cannot deny his authority over all.  From that place, Jonah would repent and cry out to God before fulfilling his assignment, if even a bit begrudgingly.  These shows of power had a clear purpose of glorifying God and completing his will.  In the process, hearts were turned to awaken or return to him.  Father, show your great power in this world today just as You did then to glorify yourself and draw your servants back to You.