In View of God's Mercy

The story of Jonah begins with a simple command: God tells Jonah to go to the great city of Nineveh and deliver a message of repentance. But Jonah, in his humanness, does the opposite. Instead of heading east to Nineveh, he boards a ship heading west to Tarshish. It's a moment many of us can relate to—a sense of running away from what God has asked us to do, perhaps out of fear, resentment, or a simple desire to avoid discomfort. And yet, it is in this very moment of disobedience that God's mercy shines brightest.

In Jonah 1, God doesn’t immediately cast judgment on Jonah for his defiance. Instead, He sends a mighty storm, one that threatens the lives of everyone on board. What’s striking here is that God's response to Jonah’s flight is not to punish him immediately but to wake him up. The storm is intentional. God’s mercy is not in sparing Jonah the storm, but in using the storm to bring Jonah back to Himself.

In a late night chat with my middle daughter, she asked me why God doesn't "save us" when He is all powerful and can save. Asking her what she meant by "save us", her response was rearranged to pose this- why doesn't God just give us what we want and make life easy for us since He can? Also, she is 11 and I wanted to ask, "What is hard?" ... but I thought better of it.

I silently chuckled at her question because most parents, I believe, would echo that we certainly know it is not in anyone's favor to give our child/ children everything they want. Could you imagine the chaos if everyone had a right to what they wanted, when they wanted it without any sense of boundary, consideration or reality that our wants change from moment to moment? My goodness. Pure insanity! So what is God's response to us in our human response to what is hard?

The sailors, who at first have no idea of Jonah’s disobedience, become increasingly desperate as the storm intensifies. In their panic, they turn to their gods, but nothing changes. Jonah, however, knows the storm is meant for him, and he admits his guilt. He tells them to throw him overboard, and the moment he is cast into the sea, the storm ceases. God’s mercy, it seems, is also extended to the sailors. It’s a beautiful reminder that God’s mercy is not confined to one person or group but has the power to affect all who are touched by His grace.

Jonah’s journey is not unlike our own at times. We often try to flee from God's calling, seeking refuge in places where we think we can hide from Him. Whether it's in the busyness of life, in relationships, or even in our hard, we try to outrun what we know God is calling us to face. But just as God didn’t leave Jonah alone in his running, He doesn’t leave us either. In fact, He pursues us with love and mercy (and boundaries), even when we are at our lowest, and invites us back to the place where we can encounter His grace.

This story speaks deeply to the nature of humanity. Jonah’s story isn’t just about a prophet in rebellion; it’s about the universal truth that we all, at some point, need God’s mercy to restore us to the path He has set before us.

God’s mercy is not earned by our obedience or our goodness. It is often in our weakest moments that we experience it most profoundly. Jonah’s journey shows us that even in our failures, God’s love is relentless, and His desire for our restoration is unwavering. Just as He sent the storm to turn Jonah around, He is always willing to use whatever means necessary to bring us back into His embrace. It is in this tender mercy that we find our greatest need: a need for God, for His guidance, His forgiveness, and His love.