Handling Life's "Big Fish" Situations!

 

“But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights” (Jonah 1: 17 NIV84).

            There are probably many people who consider many of the stories from the Bible to be “tall tales” without any factual basis.  After all, whoever heard of a big fish swallowing someone and living to talk about it.  However, if you ever doubted the story of Jonah and the big fish, then you missed the news story a few weeks ago.  A humpback whale rose out of the water much to the surprise of a man in a kayak, who was swallowed by the whale and then released virtually unharmed.  Another reminder to us that the Bible speaks truth.

            We’ve probably all found ourselves in the middle of a “big fish” situation from time to time.  Sometimes, like Jonah’s encounter, it’s of our own doing—bad choices and disobedience.  Sometimes, these difficult situations are simply the result of living in a sinful world.  Since Adam and Eve ate the fruit in the garden, there have been tragedies, stress, conflict, and sorrow.  Sometimes it all hits at once, and we are overwhelmed by the weight. 

Many of these things are beyond our control, but what we can control is how we respond to these “big fish”.  We can wallow in the “fish”, throw a pity party, blame God, and complain to everyone who will listen.  That attitude only sinks us deeper into the “fish”.  You may be trying to hold on to God’s rope but the more you blame Him, the more slippery the “fish” and the rope will become. 

So, what’s the other option?  Instead of focusing on the one moment, day, or year in time when everything went horribly wrong, focus on the other days and years when God’s blessings rained down on you in abundance.  God doesn’t cause the bad things in our lives, but the Scripture tells us that “every good and perfect gift is from above” (James 1: 17 NIV84). 

While Jonah was still in the belly of the big fish, he prayed.  He acknowledged that God heard his cries even though it was Jonah’s own actions that put him in that fish.  Knowing that he was at fault, he still looked to God for deliverance.  He knew that only God could deliver him.

“Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you…. Salvation comes from the Lord” (Jonah 2: 8, 9 NIV84). 

The next time you find yourself in a “big fish” situation, focus on God’s blessings.  Even amid the most difficult situations, God still hears and cares.  The “big fish” won’t be nearly as bad if you cling to Him instead of your self-pity and bitterness.  Like Jonah, God will bring you through the “big fish” encounter.

Jonah 1: 1 – 2: 10

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