Jonah: Running from God, Drowning in Grace

Jonah: Running from God, Drowning in Grace

Jonah isn’t about a fish—it’s about a prophet who rejects God’s mercy. In this message Pastor Gene Simco shows how Jonah ran from God’s call, how God pursued him through storms and a giant fish, and how grace finally overtook him. Learn how God deals with our stubborn hearts, turns rebellion into revival, and calls us to extend mercy to people we’d rather avoid. Perfect for anyone wrestling with obedience, bitterness, or forgiving an enemy. 

Reader's Version

Jonah: Running from God, Drowning in Grace 

Sermon By Gene Simco 

Reader’s Version  

I once heard a story about a young boy furiously riding his tricycle around and around his block. Neighbors noticed that he kept circling with determination, his face set in anger. At last an old man stopped him and asked, “Son, what are you doing?” 
“I’m running away from home,” the boy replied. 
“But you’re just going in circles,” the man said. 
The boy explained, “My mom told me I can’t cross the street!” 

That picture is a perfect lead-in to today’s theme: obedience. You can burn plenty of energy and still go nowhere if you refuse to cross the lines God calls you to cross. Last week, in Obadiah, we heard the Lord thunder against Edom’s pride. Edom gloated over Judah’s fall, boasting, “Who can ever reach us way up here?” and God replied, “I will bring you crashing down.” Today we meet another runaway—Jonah—and the contrast is striking. Obadiah condemned a nation that rejoiced when God’s people fell. Jonah rages when God’s enemies rise in repentance. 

Jonah first steps onto the biblical stage in history, not myth. “Jeroboam II recovered the territories of Israel between Lebo-hamath and the Dead Sea, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had promised through Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath-hepher” (2 Kings 14:25). Before our famous “fish story,” Jonah had already prophesied national expansion and seen it fulfilled—even though Israel’s king “did what was evil in the Lord’s sight” (2 Kings 14:24). He had no problem preaching good news to a corrupt king, yet when called to preach mercy to pagan Nineveh, he ran. This isn’t ultimately about a fish; it’s about a prophet whose jealousy and nationalism collided with God’s scandalous grace. 

The book opens with a jolt. “The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are’” (Jonah 1:1-2). Instead of obeying, Jonah bolts in the opposite direction, buying a ticket to Tarshish—about as far from Nineveh as a Hebrew could imagine. This is open rebellion, not confusion. 

As Jonah sleeps below deck, a violent storm rages above and pagan sailors desperately pray. Ironically, they show more fear of God than the prophet who claims to serve Him. Chapter 1 reveals how quickly a heart can drift when it resents God’s mission—and how God lovingly hurls storms to wake His people and redirect their steps. 

Then the crew cast lots to see which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm. When they did this, the lot identified Jonah as the culprit. “Why has this awful storm come down on us?” they demanded. “Who are you? What is your line of work? What country are you from? What is your nationality?” 
Jonah answered, “I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.” 
The sailors were terrified when they heard this, for he had already told them he was running away from the Lord. “Oh, why did you do it?” they groaned. And since the storm was getting worse all the time, they asked him, “What should we do to you to stop this storm?” 
“Throw me into the sea,” Jonah said, “and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.” 
Instead, the sailors rowed even harder to get the ship to the land, but the stormy sea was too violent for them, and they couldn’t make it. 
Then they cried out to the Lord, Jonah’s God. “O Lord,” they pleaded, “don’t make us die for this man’s sin. And don’t hold us responsible for his death. O Lord, you have sent this storm upon him for your own good reasons.” 
Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once! The sailors were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered Him a sacrifice and vowed to serve Him. 
Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights (Jonah 1:7–17). 

The prophet who claimed to “fear the Lord” actually showed less reverence than the pagans around him. Those sailors, who started the day praying to false gods, ended it worshiping the true God. Jonah, by contrast, had to be hurled into the deep before his obedience could begin. 

As we turn to chapter two, we find Jonah swallowed and sinking in the darkness. Jonah finally stops running—but not in the way you might expect. From inside the great fish he composes a beautiful, psalm-like prayer, quoting Scripture and praising God for deliverance. Yet for all its poetic polish, the prayer never actually includes the words I repent. Jonah thanks God for rescue while still clinging to pride. Even so, the Lord commands the fish to release him. Chapter two shows that God’s mercy reaches us even when our surrender is half-hearted and that His purposes keep moving forward while He continues working on our hearts. 

Inside the great fish Jonah finally prays with polished, psalm-like language—yet with no real repentance. 

“I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But You, O Lord my God, snatched me from the jaws of death!” (Jonah 2:6) 

Then God speaks to the fish, and it vomits Jonah onto dry land. Deliverance is not always pretty, but it is sure. 

Many readers stumble over this part of the story. They say, How could a man survive inside a fish? But Scripture is full of events even more astonishing than this. And historically, there are scattered reports of sailors swallowed by large sea creatures and surviving. Still, notice the text never calls it a whale—it simply says a great fish, leaving the exact creature 
. However we explain it, the God who made the sea and all its creatures is fully able to appoint one for His purpose. 

Shape 

Moving to chapter three, we meet the reluctant revivalist. God repeats His call, and Jonah at last obeys outwardly. Dragged back to dry land and recommissioned, he heads to Nineveh—but with zero passion. He walks a single day into a city so large it takes three days to cross and delivers the shortest sermon recorded in the Bible—just five Hebrew words: 
“Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown!” (עוֹד אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וְנִינְוֵה נֶהְפָּכֶת / ʿôd arbaʿîm yôm weninweh nehpaket). 

No illustrations. No altar call. Just a bare announcement of impending doom. Yet from king to commoner to cattle, the entire city repents. 

“On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds: ‘Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!’ The people of Nineveh believed God’s message, and from the greatest to the least they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow.” (Jonah 3:4–5) 

Jonah mumbles, but God multiplies his words into the greatest Gentile revival of the Old Testament. From king to cattle the city repents, and God relents. The worst missionary ever sparks a salvation story that will echo for centuries. 

Shape 

By chapter four, instead of rejoicing, Jonah burns with anger. He quotes Scripture back to God—but as a complaint. The prophet should be celebrating one of history’s greatest revivals, yet he is seething. The city he wanted wiped off the map has turned to God, and that mercy offends him. 

In a final, almost comic scene, Jonah stomps out of Nineveh and waits for fireworks that never come. God responds with an object lesson: a fast-growing plant for shade, a worm to wither it, and a scorching east wind. Through this living parable, the Lord exposes Jonah’s upside-down priorities—more concern for a plant than for 120,000 people—and delivers a question that still hangs in the air for every heart that struggles with grace. 

“Didn’t I say before I left home that You would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that You are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people.” (Jonah 4:2) 

“You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?” (Jonah 4:10–11) 

The book of Jonah ends with God’s unanswered question, deliberately aimed at every heart that resents His mercy. It asks us whether we will rejoice in God’s grace for others or sit outside the city nursing our grudges. 

Jonah’s book ends with a question, not an answer—because the question isn’t for Jonah alone. It’s for every heart that hesitates to show God’s mercy. From the stormy sea to the great city of Nineveh, we’ve watched a prophet run, a pagan empire repent, and a God of relentless compassion pursue them both. 

But the greater story is still ahead. Jesus takes Jonah’s unfinished ending and completes it. He is the true and greater Jonah—willing to be cast into death to calm the storm of God’s judgment, and rising after three days to offer mercy to the whole world. Jesus takes Jonah’s sign and redeems it. 

“For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. The people of Nineveh will stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is here—but you refuse to repent.” (Matthew 12:40–41) 

Where Jonah fled from enemies, Jesus ran toward them. 
Where Jonah pouted, Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them.” 
Where Jonah spent three days in watery darkness, Jesus conquered death itself. 

Shape 

Jonah’s book ends with a question, not an answer—because the question isn’t for Jonah alone. It’s for every heart that hesitates to show God’s mercy. From the stormy sea to the great city of Nineveh, we’ve watched a prophet run, a pagan empire repent, and a God of relentless compassion pursue them both. 

But the greater story is still ahead. Jesus takes Jonah’s unfinished ending and completes it. He is the true and greater Jonah—willing to be cast into death to calm the storm of God’s judgment, and rising after three days to offer mercy to the whole world. Jesus Himself makes the connection: 

“For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. The people of Nineveh will stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is here—but you refuse to repent.” (Matthew 12:40–41) 

Where Jonah fled from enemies, Jesus ran toward them. 
Where Jonah pouted, Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them.” 
Where Jonah spent three days in watery darkness, Jesus conquered death itself. 

From this foundation we see three major Christophanies and fulfillments. 

Jonah Sacrificed to Save Others → Jesus the Final Sacrifice 

Ἄλφα (Alpha) – Old Testament Scripture 
Jonah 1:12–15 
“Throw me into the sea,” Jonah said, “and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.” … Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once! The sailors were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered Him a sacrifice and vowed to serve Him. 

Ὦμέγα (Omega) – New Testament Fulfillment 
Mark 10:45 – “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many.” 
Romans 5:9 – “Since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.” 
1 John 2:2 – “He Himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.” 

Explanation 
Jonah offers himself to stop God’s wrath on the sailors. Jesus, innocent and pure, offers Himself to stop God’s wrath on the whole world. Jonah’s plunge calms the sea; Jesus’ cross brings peace with God (Romans 5:1). Jonah is guilty and spares the innocent. Jesus is innocent and saves the guilty. Both acts point unmistakably to substitutionary atonement. 

Three Days in the Fish → Three Days in the Tomb 

Ἄλφα (Alpha) – Old Testament Scripture 
Jonah 1:17 – “Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.” 
Jonah 2:6 – “I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But You, O Lord my God, snatched me from the jaws of death!” 

Ὦμέγα (Omega) – New Testament Fulfillment 
Matthew 12:40 – “For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.” 

Explanation 
Jonah’s descent into the deep and his rescue on the third day prefigure Jesus’ burial and resurrection. Jonah was as good as dead in Sheol’s depths until God lifted him. Jesus truly died and rose, defeating death itself. Jonah stands as a living sign of the empty tomb and of God’s power to save. 

God’s Mercy for Enemies → Jesus’ Call to Love Enemies 

Ἄλφα (Alpha) – Old Testament Scripture 
Jonah 4:2 – “So he complained to the Lord about it: ‘Didn’t I say before I left home that You would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that You are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people.’” 

Ὦμέγα (Omega) – New Testament Fulfillment 
Luke 6:35–36 – “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for He is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.” 

Explanation 
Jonah knew God’s merciful character but resented His compassion toward Nineveh. Jesus commands His followers to love enemies and show the very mercy Jonah resisted. God’s unchanging nature—merciful and compassionate—finds its fullest expression in Christ, who prays for His executioners and welcomes all nations into His Kingdom. 

Jonah isn’t the only prodigal God has had to discipline in order to send on mission. Consider Saul of Tarsus, later known as the Apostle Paul. He too ran headlong against God’s will before meeting Jesus. Saul hunted Christians, breathing threats and violence. Then, on the Damascus road, the Lord stopped him cold with blinding light. 

“As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, ‘Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?’ … Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes, he was blind. So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus. He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink.” (Acts 9:3–9) 

When Paul later told the story to King Agrippa, he added another detail: 

“We all fell down, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will.’” (Acts 26:14) 

That last phrase literally reads “to kick against the goads”—an image of an ox kicking the sharp stick that guides it, only driving the point in deeper. Saul’s resistance was painful and futile. 

For three days Paul sat in darkness, helpless and fasting—a striking parallel to Jonah’s three days inside the great fish. Then the Lord sent a disciple named Ananias, who overcame his fear and obeyed. 

“So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized.” (Acts 9:17–18) 

Notice the parallels: 

Both men ran from God’s plan—Jonah fleeing west, Saul fighting Christ’s church. 

Both were stopped by God’s power—Jonah hurled into the sea, Saul struck blind. 

Both endured a symbolic death—Jonah in the depths of Sheol, Saul in sightless isolation. 

Both experienced a miraculous recommissioning—Jonah spit onto dry land with orders to preach, Saul rising from darkness to become Paul, apostle to the Gentiles. 

And consider the vivid image: something like scales fell from Paul’s eyes. The fish that incarcerated Jonah had scales; Paul’s own eyes were covered by something like scales. It is as though the very symbol of a fish—Jonah’s confinement—mirrors Paul’s temporary blindness. 

Jonah and Paul both spent three days in darkness—Jonah in the belly of a great fish, Paul in the blindness of Damascus. Yet their stories diverge when the light returns. Paul rises with joyful obedience, eager to proclaim Christ to the nations. Jonah steps onto dry land with reluctant obedience, carrying God’s message but not God’s heart. The contrast continues at sea: Paul stands firm and saves every life in a shipwreck, while Jonah hides below deck until sailors throw him overboard. Two storms, two servants, and two very different responses to God’s relentless call. 

Both voyages become classrooms of obedience and grace. Jonah boards a ship to flee God’s command (Jonah 1:1–3); Paul sails as a prisoner but speaks for God on a ship that ignores his warning (Acts 27:9–11). In each story a fierce storm rises—the Lord hurls a great wind in Jonah’s case (Jonah 1:4), and a violent nor’easter tears at Paul’s ship (Acts 27:14–15). Panic spreads, and both crews start throwing things overboard: Jonah’s sailors hurl cargo to lighten the ship (Jonah 1:5), while Paul’s crew jettisons cargo and tackle and finally throws the wheat into the sea (Acts 27:18–19, 27:38). 

Each crew then tries a desperate maneuver. Jonah’s sailors row hard for land but cannot beat the storm (Jonah 1:13). Paul’s sailors try to sneak off in the lifeboat, and Paul warns the centurion, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved,” prompting the soldiers to cut the ropes (Acts 27:30–32). In both crises, a decisive act of obedience changes the outcome: Jonah consents to be thrown overboard and the sea grows calm (Jonah 1:12–15); on Paul’s ship, everyone heeds the word given by God’s angel—stay together, take food, trust God’s promise—and all 276 souls reach shore alive (Acts 27:21–26, 33–37, 44). 

Notice the spiritual contrasts on deck. Jonah hides and sleeps while pagans pray (Jonah 1:5–6); Paul stands and leads while pagans despair (Acts 27:20–25). Jonah identifies the Lord as “the God of heaven who made the sea and the land” (Jonah 1:9); Paul identifies “the God to whom I belong and whom I serve” (Acts 27:23). Jonah’s crew casts lots to learn the cause (Jonah 1:7); Paul’s crew sounds the depths and sets anchors to wait for daylight (Acts 27:27–29). Jonah’s sailors cry out to the Lord and end up offering sacrifice and vows (Jonah 1:14–16); Paul gives thanks, breaks bread, and strengthens the ship with a public act of faith (Acts 27:35–36). 

Even the timelines preach. Jonah’s sign is three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17; 2:6); Paul’s storm runs through the fourteenth night (Acts 27:27, 33), climaxing with a dawn deliverance. Both narratives end as testimonies to God’s mercy among Gentiles: Jonah’s pagans fear the Lord (Jonah 1:16), and Paul’s shipmates—and later the people of Malta—witness God’s saving hand (Acts 27:44; 28:1–10). 

Put simply: one servant runs and must be thrown overboard; the other obeys and keeps everyone aboard. In both, God rules the sea, exposes the heart, and advances His mission—not to punish for punishment’s sake, but to pursue, redirect, and save. 

Early Christian teachers noticed these patterns and sometimes spoke of Jonah as a foreshadowing of Paul’s ministry: both were Hebrews sent to Gentiles, reluctant at first, yet destined to become the very pattern of God’s outreach to the nations. 

Both men show that God disciplines not to destroy but to redirect. Whether it’s a giant fish or three days of blindness, His aim is always mercy and mission. 

Jonah is Esau all over again—trading a birthright for bitterness, just like Edom in Obadiah. He refuses to rejoice in another’s blessing, and God sometimes lets a prodigal go until the running finally hurts. Remember what James wrote: 

“For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.” (James 3:16) 

Jealousy and selfish ambition are sins. They are sins of the flesh, incompatible with Christ. They always lead to disorder and evil. At their core, jealousy and selfish ambition are what happen when our will collides with God’s will. But if we are in Christ, obedience is not optional. 

This is why we pray, “Thy will be done.” We are not asking God to rubber-stamp our agenda—we are surrendering to His. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus drives this home in His teaching that parallels the Sermon on the Mount. After speaking of the tree and its fruit, the heart behind our words, and the house built on a solid foundation, He asks one of the most piercing questions in Scripture: 

“So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?” (Luke 6:46) 

It has been said: If Jesus is not your Lord, then He is not your Savior. And if He is your Lord, then He has both the authority and the power to demand obedience. To call Him Lord is to acknowledge His reign; to obey Him is to prove it. 

Jonah’s half-hearted obedience exposes a danger that still lurks in the Church: calling Jesus “Lord” but refusing to live as if He truly reigns. Jesus asked a piercing question, “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). His point is unmistakable—if our faith is real, it will be proven in our actions. 

James echoes the same truth: “So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, ‘Some people have faith; others have good deeds.’ But I say, ‘How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds’” (James 2:17-18). 
Genuine belief inevitably bears visible fruit. 

Other Scriptures reinforce this call: 

“Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.” (Matthew 3:8) 

“Repent and turn to God, and prove they have changed by the good things they do.” (Acts 26:20) 

“Show them your love, and prove to all the churches that our boasting about you is justified.” (2 Corinthians 8:24) 

“If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.” (James 3:13) 

“Work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away.” (2 Peter 1:10) 

“Dear friend, don’t let this bad example influence you. Follow only what is good. Remember that those who do good prove that they are God’s children.” (3 John 1:11) 

Together these passages insist that grace and obedience are not opposites. We are saved by grace through faith, but faith that never acts is a counterfeit faith. Jonah’s delayed obedience warns us not to settle for Sunday lip service or half-hearted compliance. 

Jesus defines obedience with crystal clarity. “If you love me, obey my commandments” (John 14:15). He goes on to say, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me” (John 14:23–24). And again, “When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in His love” (John 15:10). 

Love and obedience are inseparable. To remain, or abide, in Christ is to obey Him. Disobedience, on the other hand, is practical unbelief—it silently says we don’t trust God’s wisdom or His goodness. 

Jonah’s story brings this truth to life. Running from God is disobedience in motion. He heard God’s voice clearly and deliberately chose another route. His outward confession—“I fear the Lord”—was hollow until action finally matched words. The storm and the great fish were not punishment for sport; they were merciful interruptions designed to bring Jonah back to obedience. 

Obedience matters because it reveals genuine faith. “So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, ‘Some people have faith; others have good deeds.’ But I say, ‘How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds’” (James 2:17–18). We are saved by grace through faith, but true faith always expresses itself in obedience. Jesus promised, “If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth” (John 14:15–17). To be saved is to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, and this results in a life marked by joy and peace. 

Obedience also protects us from ruin. Jesus illustrated this in vivid terms: “I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house right on the ground, without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins” (Luke 6:47–49). 

To call Jesus Lord is to submit to His authority. To obey Him is to prove that we trust His wisdom and goodness. Anything less is a foundation of sand, but obedience builds a life that no storm can sweep away. 

It has been said that if Jesus is not your Lord, then He is not your Savior. And if Jesus truly is your Lord, then He has the authority and the power to demand obedience. God did that with Paul. God did it with Jonah. And He did it with me. 

I once ran from God until He literally put me in the hospital. That was my personal big fish—a time-out with IVs instead of seaweed. Like Jonah, I had to hit bottom before I looked up. 

Last week I shared a little of my story about running from who God made me. Once I had wrestled with that identity, I began running from God’s specific calling. I wasn’t happy with who God had made me, and jealousy and selfish ambition drove me to try to become someone else. I essentially manufactured a new identity. I went from being a skinny musician to a muscle-bound martial artist with money. By my early thirties I had enough to semi-retire, yet no matter how much I gained, I was still not satisfied. 

Eventually I showed up at what was then C3 Church. They weren’t quite sure what to do with me. Because I had a musical background, they put me in music ministry. It looked like obedience, but it wasn’t. My heart was still half-hearted. People kept prophesying over me: “You’re going to be a teacher someday. You’re going to be a pastor someday.” I didn’t want any of it. I was comfortable straddling the fence—keeping my lifestyle and staying in some level of sin while being a Sunday-to-Sunday Christian. I was content to hang out with Jesus on weekends without committing to a real relationship. 

This is not to say everyone is called to be a pastor. But in my case, God made His call unmistakable. Prophecies and confirmations came again and again, and I kept resisting. Once, as I prayed silently with questions in my heart, a woman beside me turned and began to answer those very questions out loud. It terrified me—yet I still ran. 

Then came my Jonah moment. One day, while working from home, I began to feel numb. The numbness spread until the entire left side of my body went dead. I asked my wife to take me to the hospital with what few words I could get out of one side of my mouth. She was alarmed—she knew it was serious, because I am no fan of hospitals. By the time we arrived I could not even get myself out of the car. They admitted me and ran every test imaginable. The diagnosis was clear: I had suffered a stroke. 

My wife called my pastor, and he came to pray over me. In that moment I was terrified, ready to meet the Author of life and didn’t know what my favorite chapter was. I had a short, silent conversation with God. As my pastor prayed, something shifted. God released me. The fish vomited me out, and the scales fell from my eyes. 

During that dark night I made a covenant with God, much like Jonah sang his psalm in the depths. I promised that I would devote myself to His Word, to know it better than anything else in my life. The road ahead seemed daunting, but God provided every step of the way. As I began to change, He met every need—bills paid, doors opened—in unexpected ways. He even sent me a mentor who had planted over 170 churches and operated a full seminary, discipling me as Paul once discipled Timothy. 

This is why I can say with confidence that God’s mercy reaches us even when our surrender starts out half-hearted. He provided everything I needed to obey His call. If you sense that God is calling you and fear is holding you back, take courage. The God who pursued Jonah and Paul will also pursue you—and will provide everything necessary for the mission He gives. 

Where might God be pausing you—not to punish, but to prepare you? Where might it be wise to surrender and turn to Him in obedience? God uses storms, detours, and time-outs to break stubborn pride. He is not primarily punishing; He is pursuing. So take a moment and ask: where have you been saying no to God’s yes? Christians disobey in a hundred small ways—some of them almost innocent—but passive disobedience is still disobedience. Where do you need to repent? Don’t wait for a hospital bed or a hurricane to force your hand. Take my advice: it’s always better to obey sooner than later. 

Re-engage: go where God sends you, even if it’s your own personal Nineveh. Rejoice—celebrate when God forgives others, because you needed that same mercy. If you need encouragement or help on that journey, connect with us here at C3; we want to walk with you. Be encouraged: even when Jonah ran, God pursued him. Even when Jonah sulked, God reasoned with him. Even when Jonah rejected grace, God extended it. The same relentless mercy is after you—nothing you have done, no rebellion, no bitterness, is deeper than His love. 

Maybe you’ve been running. Maybe you’ve been resisting God’s call, hiding behind excuses, or drowning in bitterness. You can stop running today. The God who chased Jonah across the sea and met Paul in blinding light is the same God reaching for you now. Don’t wait for the storm or the hospital bed. Turn now. Run to Him, not from Him. No matter how deep you’ve sunk, His mercy is deeper still—and He’s already calling you back to life. 
 
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©️ Copyright 2025 Gene Simco Most Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scriptures in brackets reflect the original Biblical languages.

Jonah: Running from God, Drowning in Grace

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