Swallowed in Victory?

Death has been swallowed up in victory. 1Corinthians 15:54 (NIV)

To me, the story of Jonah is the perfect illustration of how God is able to take a disastrous situation and turn it around 180 degrees. Imagine the honor of being divinely chosen to deliver a life-or-death message. Imagine chickening out. And imagine trying to survive the string of disasters that resulted.

First, there was the violent storm at sea, followed by the humiliation of being singled out as the one responsible. Then there was the inevitable yelling, the pointing, the clamoring to apprehend the culprit. And in the midst of being hurled overboard toward the raging waters, perhaps there was also the mistake of asking, "What else could possibly go wrong?" I can picture Jonah gulping for breath, struggling to tread water, desperately trying to summon the strength to make it to shore. And along comes this fish...

Now, I have to admit, if I were he, I would have thought this was the end. I have seen Jaws; being swallowed by a large creature is never a good thing. However, just as it appeared that all was lost, Jonah did what so many do as a last resort. He prayed. From the cold, dark entrails of some great sea creature headed for the vast, watery who-knows-where, he cried out to the Lord, surrendering his hopeless situation to the loving hands of Almighty God. And in that very instant, the great fish - the terror of the deep, the disaster to end all disasters - became the perfect vessel to carry Jonah safely to the exact destination that had been God's plan for him from the beginning.

That is our awesome God's amazing power to transform!

Father, sometimes I do feel hopeless and fearful, but God please help me to be obedient and go forth trusting You as I try to serve You. Amen

Suzie Thomas