Need some comfort? Want to feel calm? Happy? Optimistic? Besides not watching the news, what can we do to plant our feet on solid ground ?  Even when well-meaning people use bad methods? When good people outright do wrong? When the world is a confusing, disappointing, scary place to live, where do we run for help? This well-known story can help us find solid hope.

He had been given a difficult assignment that was repugnant to him. And he had run hard- in the opposite direction. God pulled him up short when his getaway ship encountered a God-staged storm. You know the story. To save themselves, the crew reluctantly tossed Jonah overboard as a sacrifice to his ‘angry’ God. They went on in a calm sea, and Jonah sank to the depths.
“I sank beneath the waves, and the waters closed over me.
Seaweed wrapped itself around my head.
I sank down to the very roots of the mountains.
I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever.”

However, God isn’t a vindictive God ready to slap all rebels with the death penalty. No, God hadn’t given up on this runaway.
“But you, O Lord my God, snatched me from the jaws of death!” (Literally!  A large fish, perhaps a whale, swallowed Jonah.  But God prevented it from killing him.)
He had shut God out of his life in his headlong rush to avoid a hard job. But when he got desperate, he came running back to God.
“As my life was slipping away, I remembered the Lord.
And my earnest prayer went out to you” (From the belly of the fish.)

Jonah suddenly saw things as they really are: if we let other things lure us away from God, we lose big time. We miss out on the One Good, and therefore all good things.
“Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God’s mercies” (mercy- Hebrew, hesed, which can be translated; mercy, kindness, favor, loyal love)

God’s love expressed in the Hebrew word Hesed is central to the way God reveals himself to us. It is deeper and broader than any one English word so we use many words to translate it: lovingkindness, mercy, unfailing love, loyal love, 
trustworthiness, devotion, faithfulness, 
favor, goodness, ardent dedication based on a promise.

“Hesed is born from a root word that means to bow one’s head toward another and stems from a covenant relationship. I find the idea of God bending toward me in lovingkindness a precious picture.” Sylvia Shroeder (www.sylviaschroeder.com)

And to think that we can deprive ourselves of this kindness! We can choose to turn our backs on mercy. We can walk (or run!) away from goodness. We can refuse loyal love. We can cut ourselves off from favor.  But the rebel Jonah stopped running. He chose a better way. He turned back to God.
“But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows.
For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.”

Jonah decided to offer his obedience. (“Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering . . . rams.” 1 Samuel 15:22 ).
He chose to obey happily with songs of praise to his kind God. He recognized that God alone could save him and will save him- body, soul, and spirit.  I want to obey happily with gratitude for the kind of God I serve!

“Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach.” Jonah 2:5-10

Jonah made good on his promise.  He bravely did the task God assigned him.  I want to be faithful to do what God has asked me to do; one small thing at a time, one person at a time.

I got to thinking of all the mercies I receive every day. Here’s my partial list (many, many more mercies too numerous to mention!) in no particular order: Three meals every day (not taken for granted in view of the condition of the world!), clean water (also not taken for granted-especially hot water), safe place to sleep, (My heart goes out to so many who don’t have this mercy.) warm house, (I know many are either temporarily or often cold), loving family and friends to do life with, freedom to worship together, ability to read the Scriptures with the comfort and hope I find there, mostly healthy kids and grandkids, jobs to do for God, peace, contentment, loving husband (rare and precious gift!).

I’m so grateful that God kept me from turning my back on all God’s mercies by pursuing other things before God. In my childhood, the hard things like my parents separating kept pushing me into the arms of my heavenly Father, who never left me. In my teen years, the loss of my mother made me lean into the Comforter. In my young adult life, the Shepherd took our family through serious tropical illnesses and isolation. In our middle years, raising six teenagers put our flaws and weaknesses in neon lights which pushed us into God’s forgiving arms. And now in our latter years, he doesn’t let go even when we don’t have as much to offer in return.  We’ve spent our lives imperfectly loving and obeying God.  I’m thankful God didn’t let us turn our backs on all his mercies.

“Those who worship false gods
turn their backs on all God’s mercies.” Jonah 2:8

Is there anything that comes before God in your life? Are you missing out on any of his favor and mercy because you stubbornly go your own way? Have you caused yourself unnecessary misery because you did it your way?  There’s no better life than one spent focused on loving and obeying God and receiving his magnificent loving kindness, faithful love, mercy, and favor.  Being obedient brings comfort despite the world being on fire, and happiness that lasts.

 “I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love (Hebrew- hesed). You are eager to turn back from destroying people.”  Jonah 4:2

“If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea.”  Isaiah 48:18. (continuous peace and well-being from obedience)