The Belly of the Whale

Jonah 2:6 says, But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit.

I woke up thinking about Jonah today. His story resounds loudly with my own as I think of my own life journey. Knowing the right thing to do and yet, somehow thinking I can outsmart God, buy a ticket to someplace else, get on a boat, where surely God won't find me, cause a big mess (storm), get thrown overboard and then have a heart to heart with God.

At the start of a new year it's easy to get caught up in all the regrets, the past mistakes, the roads less traveled, the diets undone, the money wasted, the time released. Just like Jonah....all those things that we know we should've and could've done, all those commands from God that we ignored, all those things that would have brought Him glory that we ignored for our own selfish ways...it's easy to get bogged down in the reflection of failure we see when we look in the mirror. And that's what the enemy wants.

But the truth is...the Lord my God has brought my life up from the pit. Even without being spit out of the belly of the whale, Jonah knew God had brought Him up from the pit. He claimed the promises that He already knew about His God, while He was at the lowest point of His life...in the churning belly of the nasty whale. He remembered what God had done for Him in the past. The constant God, the faithful God, the one who was strong enough to bring His life up from the pit.

I think that's my greatest defense these days...Remembering who God is, what He's done in the past, recalling how He has brought my life up from the pit.  Rejoicing in the faithfulness of a God who isn't finished with me, who has a plan for this life, who loves me....loves me....loves ME.

Isn't that the greatest gift?...His love. It encompasses every other attribute He has...His grace, His forgiveness, His compassion. It's that love that brings my life out of the pit. It's that love that helps me look forward instead of backwards and it's that love that gives me hope that He has a plan for my future....just like my past....and He's already done so much with my life I can't imagine what else He has in store.

That belly of the whale isn't a place I want to go back to....and that's not where God intends His redeemed, reconciled, justified children to live. So I'm rejoicing in my rescue from the pit and pray that God will keep my heart and mind fixed on His Son, His love and His plans for the future.