Fish Stories: Jonah’s Repentance – Wednesday
Jonah 2:7
When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. (NIV84)
We’ve all heard the officer say, “Do you know why I pulled you over?” My go-to response is to play dumb. “Speeding” is the correct answer, but maybe the feigned ignorance of my crime will somehow absolve me of it too. My feeling of guilt kicks in when I first hear the sirens blare. In that instant, I’m painfully aware of my transgression, but I’m usually not ready to admit it.
In the parable of the Prodigal Son, there is a critical line: “When he came to his senses.” When the son, running down the wrong path and ending up flat-busted, realizes there is a better way, he begins to turn his life back toward the direction of his father. He prepares a speech to beg forgiveness and, at the very least, become a servant in his dad's household. He is repenting.
I heard a funny story about a four-year-old who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. When caught, knowing he was in trouble, he simply exclaimed, “Daddy, I accidentally forgot to be good.”
We’ve all “accidentally forgot to be good” and, more to the point, have run from God and been caught in sin’s maddening snare. When the stakes are high, like in Jonah’s case, we usually have a sense that our life is ebbing away. Jonah was drowning in the ocean, and we’ve been drowning in regret. At that moment, it is critical to do what Jonah did and “remember you, Lord.”
The guilty speeder, the Prodigal, the four-year-old boy sneaking cookies, and Jonah all need to remember the Lord and pray when they transgress. May we all be quick to prayer and repentance.
Wednesday’s Reflection
Is there anything you need to repent of? Take it to the Lord, receive His forgiveness, and plan to follow Him today. If you need help with this let us know.
