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in the belly

Jonah 1:16&17
"16 Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.
17 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights."

Jonah fled God’s call. A fierce storm halted the ship bound for Tarshish. Jonah told the sailors to throw him overboard; when they did, the storm ceased.

Jonah’s story reminds us: we cannot escape God. A life-threatening storm can be the wake-up call we need. It turned the sailors into believers; more lessons await Jonah (and us). Swallowed by a great fish, he is regurgitated on the coast toward Nineveh, back on track to preach in the dangerous city. He succeeds; the people repent, and Jonah witnesses God’s mercy—the outcome he dreaded.

Are there parts of God’s plan you resist? Read Jonah’s remaining three chapters for deeper insight.

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