Once upon a time, there was a man named Jonah. God spoke to Jonah and said, ¡°Go to the great city of Nineveh and tell them to change their ways because their wickedness has come up before me.¡± But Jonah was afraid and didn’t want to go. Instead, he got on a ship heading in the opposite direction, thinking he could run away from God.
As the ship sailed, a fierce storm came upon them. The sailors were terrified and threw their cargo overboard to lighten the ship. They prayed to their gods, but the storm only grew worse. Then the captain found Jonah, who was sleeping below deck, and said, ¡°How can you sleep at a time like this? Get up and pray to your God!¡±
Jonah knew that he was the cause of the storm because he had disobeyed God. He told the sailors, ¡°I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.¡± He also told them that he was running away from God’s command. The sailors were shocked and asked Jonah what they should do. Jonah replied, ¡°Pick me up and throw me into the sea, and the storm will stop.¡±
The sailors didn’t want to do it, but the storm was getting worse and worse. Finally, they prayed to God and threw Jonah overboard. As soon as Jonah hit the water, the storm stopped. But God had other plans for Jonah. He sent a great fish to swallow him. Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.
While inside the fish, Jonah prayed to God. He said, ¡°In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. I cried out from deep within the earth, and you heard my voice. You threw me into the deep, into the heart of the sea, and the currents swirled around me. I said, ¡®I have been driven away from your sight, yet I will look once more toward your holy temple.¡¯¡±
God heard Jonah’s prayer and caused the fish to vomit him out onto dry land. Once again, God spoke to Jonah and said, ¡°Go to Nineveh and deliver the message I told you to give.¡± This time, Jonah obeyed. He went to Nineveh and told the people, ¡°In forty days, Nineveh will be destroyed.¡±
The people of Nineveh believed Jonah’s message. They fasted, wore sackcloth, and repented. Even the king of Nineveh put on sackcloth and sat in ashes. He decreed that everyone, even the animals, should fast and pray. God saw their sincere repentance and decided not to destroy the city.
Jonah, however, was angry. He sat outside the city, hoping to see its destruction. God sent a plant to grow up and give Jonah shade. Jonah was very happy about the plant. But then God sent a worm to kill the plant, and it withered. Jonah was angry again. God said to Jonah, ¡°You care about the plant, which you did not labor for and which you did not grow. Should I not care about the great city of Nineveh, where there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left?¡±
This story teaches us that we cannot run away from God’s will. No matter how far we go or how deep we fall, God is always ready to forgive us if we turn to him.