STEEMCHURCH: The waters of the restoration

Hello @steemchurch family, the story of Jonah is one of the most impressive in the Bible because so far no man has lived the experience that Jonah had when descending to the depths of the sea and get out alive from such a test.

No one has experienced the separation and absence of God more than the prophet Jonah. With this story we can think that, in times of crisis, God is distant from us. Sometimes we even interpret their silence as indifference. Jonah reminds us that the presence of God allows us to endure the trials we face, even those we create by our own disobedience.

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There is a story that tells of an unusual tribal custom that portrays the presence of God during our darkest hours. "A tribe of Native Americans had a unique practice to train brave young people. On the night of a child's thirteenth birthday, he was placed in a dense forest to spend all night alone. That young man had never been away from the safety of his family and tribe. But on that night they blindfolded him and took him away. When he took off the bandage, he was alone in the middle of a thick forest.

Each time a branch broke, it probably visualized a wild animal ready to jump. Every time an animal howled, it imagined a wolf jumping out of the darkness. Every time the wind blew, he wondered what more sinister sound he was hiding. That was a terrifying night for many. After what seemed like an eternity, the first rays of sunlight penetrated the interior of the forest. When looking around, the child saw flowers, trees with a very beautiful path. Then, to his utter amazement, he contemplated the figure of a man standing a few feet away, armed with a bow and an arrow.

He was the father of the child. He had been there all night. My beloved in the troubled waters of life is when we most feel the presence of God to rescue us, even if I use a big fish for this. How these waters of restoration work.

The waters of restoration are shaken when we have failed GOD. God used the sea to correct and restore. But in this case, the fish represents much more than the correction of God. The fish represented a shelter for the protection of the sea, it was God's provision to protect the prophet. God tried to use Jonah. While the three days and nights in the belly of the fish were extremely difficult and painful, God had no intention of killing Jonah. If God wanted Jonah to die, he could have left it in the ocean and had it eaten by a shark.

Of course God wanted to break the disobedient will of Jonah, but God was not finished with him. When did the fish swallow Jonah? Well, apparently it was not immediately. It was the sailors who threw it into the sea. He, however, confessed that God was behind that action. The waves swept it. This is the way he describes what he is feeling as he goes down. If something shows us this passage is that Jonah could not swim. As soon as it was launched, it sank. He thought God had "banished" him, he thought he was alone, the water swirls around his neck as he struggles to stay afloat, the water overcame him and he began to sink. He was about to die, that's what he shows us when he talks that the abyss surrounded him, but before that happened, God rescued him.

And how was it that God rescued him? Well, through a big fish. Our God is amazing. Even in the midst of the consequences of his disobedience, God loves and rescues Jonah. Is not this what he always does with his children? Do not be surprised by what God sends you to save him.

It was a personal transport to the coast. After "three days and three nights", "God ordered the fish and vomited Jonah on dry land". The three days and nights probably have nothing to do with the speed of the fish, but over time Jonah needed to empty his sinful heart. When Jonah was ready to obey God, the fish was ready to release him. This scenario also represents the sovereign moment of God. We know that Jesus referred to the duration of this journey when he taught his disciples about the resurrection.

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God had a specific place where he wanted Jonah because the prophet was in the wrong place. The Lord still wanted Jonah to go to Nineveh. Then, God prepared a way to move it from the middle of the ocean back to where it started. The way God does things is surprising and unobjectionable. Before the submarines existed, God already had his. Of course, the trip to the coast of Nineveh was not so pleasant, but it was there.

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Jonah had a private sanctuary with the Lord, the Bible says that "Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from within the fish". What is a "sanctuary"? What makes a church auditorium, a prayer closet or even the belly of a fish a sanctuary? It is the place where you meet God. And you can know that you have met God when you get his attention. At that time everything, except God, is insignificant and nothing is worth it. Everything else is just a distraction. But when you enter in his presence you will not remain the same. Think about what happened inside that fish. There Jonah recognized his total dependence on God.

I heard the desperation in his voice: "I screamed for help", "I said, 'I have been banished'", and "as my life faded, I remembered the Lord". Within the fish, God deprived the prophet of his pride and prejudice. God eliminated all spiritual distractions. Within the fish, Jonah submitted to God without reservation. Jonah was left alone with God and the voice of sin, fame and others became weak sounds. But the voice of God became strong and clear. If you have turned away from God and feel your need to renew your faith, then sit alone with him. Many blessings.