There is nothing more amazing than the grace of God. One of my favorite authors is Brennan Manning, who wrote, among other books, The Ragamuffin Gospel. In His autobiography, "All is Grace," he writes this:

"My message, unchanged for more than fifty years, is this: God loves you unconditionally, as you are and not as you should be because nobody is as they should be. It is the message of grace…A grace that pays the eager beaver who works all day long the same wages as the grinning drunk who shows up at ten till five…A grace that hikes up the robe and runs breakneck toward the prodigal reeking of sin, wraps him up, and decides to throw a party. No ifs, ands, or buts…This grace is indiscriminate compassion. It works without asking anything of us…Grace is sufficient even though we huff and puff with all our might to try to find something or someone it cannot cover. Grace is enough…Jesus is enough."

Grace is enough. This is what Jonah was about to experience. He is doing battle with God, but God, rather than doing battle with him, simply gives him grace. That is our God.

We pick up the story in Jonah 1:11. "The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, "What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?" "Pick me up and throw me into the sea," he replied, "and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you." Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. Then they cried out to the Lord, "Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man's life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased." Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. At this, the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him. Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights."

Jonah fully expected to die that day. But, and it is a big but….God chose to give him grace and preserve his life by providing a huge fish to swallow him. And in case you think that's got to be a fable, Jesus spoke of the event in the Gospels as an actual event. He believed it, and I do as well. 

You see, God is consistent. He is consistent in wanting people to repent and follow Him. He consistently gives people second, third, and fourth chances in his love. He is consistent in wanting us to repent. And most of all, He is consistent with his amazing grace in our lives. Yes, He pursues us when we resist. And yes, He wants our obedience. But, (and it is a big But…) he does so with grace time and time and time again. 

Again, my friend Brennan Manning on God's grace: "That in the end, my sin will never outweigh God's love. That the Prodigal can never outrun the Father. That I am not measured by the good I do but by the grace I accept. That being lost is a prerequisite to being found. That living a life of faith is not lived in the light; it is discovered in the dark. That not being a saint here on earth will not necessarily keep you from being in that number when the march begins.

The big fish God deliberately provided was a gift of grace. Jonah thought he would die, but God said I will rescue you. Jonah thought he was done, but God said I will reboot your mission. As Manning says, "But if I've learned anything about the world of grace, it's that failure is always a chance for a do-over." And that is what God is doing with Jonah.

Father: Thank you for your grace. Undeserved, often unasked for. Always surprising when we experience it. Thank you….thank you. Amen