God Prepared A Worm

Have you ever wondered what happened to the fish that swallowed Jonah? Could it be that somewhere in the oceans that fish still exists? Think about that when you’re on the water at a time when you should be at the Lord’s house! God just might use that fish again on another wayward, rebellious child!

God had mercy on Jonah and the fish spit him up on the beach and then he begins to hear from God again!

Jonah 3:1,2 And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.

Jonah 3:3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey.

How many of you think that Jonah ever set foot on another ship? I doubt if he would get close to the seashore ever again and was probably very nervous even if he had to cross a river or a lake. One thing is for certain, he never forgot the lesson of the whale! A lesson hard learned is a lesson not easily forgotten!

This time Jonah listened to God. The call upon Jonah’s life was extremely important. In Jonah’s hands lay the destiny of a city of heathens, enemies of Israel, and the capital city of the Assyrian Empire, yet they were people that God still loved, and God wanted to use his prophet to send them a warning to repent or face judgment!

Jonah 3:4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

Jonah 3:5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.

Jonah 3:6 For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

Jonah 3:7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:

Jonah 3:8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.

Jonah 3:9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?

Jonah 3:10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

Why did God send Jonah to Nineveh? He sent him to preach that judgment was coming unless they repent!

If you look at this story, you’ll find that one of the reasons that Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh was that in his heart, he wanted Nineveh to be destroyed. After all, they were enemies of Israel. The Assyrians had attacked Israel many times, and now there was a chance for retribution. Let God destroy them, they deserved it.

That’s an attitude that we often find in Christians today. Instead of praying for their enemies and trying to find ways to help them find Jesus, we are too busy complaining about what they are doing and wondering how long it’s going to take God to take care of them and remove them from the scene. There are a lot of people who are complaining about the conditions in our nation, but how many of them pray for the leaders, and how many are asking God for a revival in our land? Thank the Lord, there are some who are seeking God on their behalf but I think it’s a shame that most of the church world is ready to condemn but not to pray for revival.