Have you ever felt like Jonah inside the belly of a great fish? Swallowed up by circumstances and helpless? May as well go along with the ride, wherever life is taking you. No control. Maybe you are just not where you want to be, but feel helpless as to how to break free. So you sit, and brood.
Or, do you realize that something greater than yourself is in control of the situation. You can’t see what is ahead, but you trust you are headed in the right direction. You take advantage of the time to commune with God, who is the one who put you in this place. It’s a time of mediation – of waiting, and learning Truths while you wait. You know God is in control and you are being prepared to do His will. It is a time to be still.
There are times when you know you are not in control. Is it punishment, or grace? Perhaps both. God saved Jonah from drowning and gave him sometime alone to get his head straight. Jonah had been running from God and his responsibilities. But in the darkest of circumstances, he learned God was with him, God had a plan, and God would guide him. He repented, and God taught him what He must teach to the people of Nineveh.
Rejoice in the dark, lonely times. It is a time to be with God, to be held away from dangers you could not have seen if you continues down the path you were on, and to be confined so you can focus on what God is trying to teach you. It is a time to let go and let Him steer your course. It is a time of preparation, reflection and correction so you will be better able to face the next phase of your life – the good and the bad.
From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. Jonah 2:1
