Jonah and the Big Fish

Have you ever been asked to do something you really, really didn't want to do? Then you might understand a man named Jonah.

One day, God spoke to Jonah. He said, "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city." The people in Nineveh were doing lots of wicked things, and God wanted Jonah to go and warn them. But Jonah didn't want to go. Not one bit. So he ran off in the opposite direction! He went down to the seaside, found a ship sailing far away, paid his fare, and climbed aboard.

Jonah was trying to run away from God. But can anyone hide from God? Not on a ship, not up a mountain, not even under the blankets!

Out at sea, God sent a great wind, and a mighty storm. The waves grew so big that the ship nearly broke apart. The sailors were terrified. Each one cried out to his own god, and they threw the cargo into the sea to make the ship lighter. And where was Jonah? Fast asleep, down in the bottom of the ship! Maybe even snoring. The captain shook him awake. "What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God!"

The sailors wanted to know whose fault the storm was. So they cast lots, a bit like drawing straws, and the lot fell on Jonah. Jonah told them, "I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who has made the sea and the dry land." Uh oh. Now the sailors were even more scared! Jonah was running away from the God who made the sea, and they were right in the middle of it! Jonah said, "Take me up, and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will be calm for you."

The sailors didn't want to do that. They rowed hard to get back to land, but the storm only got worse. So they prayed to God, and threw Jonah into the sea. Straight away, the sea stopped raging, and everything was calm. The sailors were amazed, and they worshiped God.

Splash! Down, down, down went Jonah, into the deep, dark water. But God had a plan. He sent a huge fish, and gulp! It swallowed Jonah up. Jonah was inside the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. Imagine it! Dark, and squishy, with seaweed wrapped around his head, and a very fishy smell.

And there, inside the fish, Jonah prayed. He remembered God, and he thanked God for hearing him. He said, "Salvation belongs to the Lord." That means only God can save us. Then God spoke to the fish, and the fish spat Jonah out onto the dry land. Splat! A bit slimy, but safe.

Then God spoke to Jonah a second time. "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city." And this time, Jonah listened. He went. Nineveh was so big that it took three days to walk across it. Jonah walked into the city and called out, "In forty days, Nineveh will be overthrown!"

And guess what? The people of Nineveh believed God! They stopped eating, and put on rough, scratchy sackcloth, to show they were sorry. Even the king got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, and sat down in the ashes. He told everyone to stop doing wrong, and to call out to God with all their hearts. Even the animals had to wear sackcloth! Imagine a sheep in a scratchy sack! When God saw that they had turned away from their wicked ways, he was kind to them. He did not destroy the city.

God loved the people of Nineveh, and he loved Jonah too. He gave them all a second chance.

This story teaches us to listen to God, and to do what he asks, even when it's hard. And if we get it wrong, we can say sorry and start again, because God loves to give second chances.