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A Second Chance

Jonah 2:10??:6, NIV
?쏛nd the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: ?쁆o to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.??Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city?봞 visit required three days. On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: ?쁅orty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.??The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.??

There is not a single person who has not experienced failure in this world. Sometimes failures in life may leave serious wounds that are not easily healed. However, failure is just a matter of course for a better tomorrow. Through failure, we must humble ourselves and find the will of the Lord. The Lord will give us a new chance.


1. Jonah disobeyed God's will (Jnh 1:2-3).
God told Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach the Word of God. However, since Jonah did not want to preach the Gospel in Nineveh, his enemy country, he disobeyed God and took a ship to Tarshish. All problems begin from a self-centered life rather than from a God-centered life. After apostle Paul met Jesus, he confessed, "I have been crucified with Christ and I live by faith in the Son of God" (Gal 2:20). Jesus alone is the Lord of our life. Therefore, we should always seek first the will of the Lord.


2. Jonah encountered a storm (Jnh 1:4).
Jonah, who disobeyed the will of God and boarded a ship for Tarshish, encountered a storm (Jnh 1:5). Trials and problems come upon us when we try to live according to our own will. Or as was the case with Abraham, Joseph, and Moses, trouble may come as God's training to make us greater workers. At that point, we must know that the will of God in trouble is to repent, return back to the Lord, and make our faith firm. When we do that, God will turn our trouble into blessing (Ro 5:3-4). When Jonah realized that the violent storm had come upon the ship because of his disobedience, he told the passengers to throw him into the sea (Jnh 1:10, 12). After Jonah faced the storm, he began to be broken.


3. Jonah was confined inside the fish (Jnh 1:17).
God provided a big fish for Jonah who was thrown into the sea (Jnh 1:17). For three days, Jonah was in the belly of the fish, and he experienced remarkable change. Jonah prayed to God and believed that God would answer him (Jnh 2:2). When Jonah was broken in trouble, his faith was restored (Jnh 2:4). Are you having a problem? Cry out to God in prayer (Jer 33:3). Ask God to help you. Think of the first time that you received His grace and restore your worship to Him with tears, renewed faith, and service filled with the Holy Spirit and joy.


4. Jonah was given a second chance (Jnh 2:9).
Jonah, who was changed, gave thanks to the Lord and confessed that he would fulfill his vow to God and that salvation would come from God. Then the fish vomited Jonah onto dry land (Jnh 2:10). God gave a mission to Jonah once again, who got out from the belly of the fish (Jnh 3:1-2), and through Jonah?셲 preaching (Jnh 3:3), Nineveh had a great revival (Jnh 3:4-5). Now, the crisis in Korea is another opportunity that God has given to us to rise to the occasion for a rich life, church growth, and another revival?봟y repenting of our lack of passion and formalistic faith.


A crisis is a process for a better tomorrow. Use a crisis to create another opportunity in faith. When we repent, we can move forward, and the Lord will surely fill us with more good fruit, even better than before.