My God of Second Chances

Jonah 1:9-13(NIV)

⁹ He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land. ”
¹⁰ This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.)
¹¹ The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?”
¹² “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”
¹³ Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. ¹⁴ Then they cried out to the Lord, “Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you,Lord, have done as you pleased.” ¹⁵ Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. ¹⁶ At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.

We once took a parenting class that stressed the necessity of first-time obedience.  There's a certain irony in asking parents to teach what they've never mastered themselves.   Thankfully our gracious Lord was also parenting our child.   I read the story of Jonah and note that God, in His economy, doesn't waste our disobedience.   The men in the boat were able to quickly grasp the power of Jonah's God, something Jonah was late in learning himself.  Thankfully, God gave Jonah a second chance, as He does for me and you.
This Newsboys' song, "In The Belly of a Whale" is preformed by Northland Church's Worship Team.