The Story of Jonah in the Old Bible is a great short story with a good message. He did everything he could to evade God’s call to preach to the Assyrian-Ninevite people and tell them to repent for their sins and be saved. Jonah remembered what happened to so many previous prophets and it did not auger well for his future. Besides Jonah hated the Assyrians and would have preferred that they would all be destroyed.

He tried to run away from God and hid himself even becoming a stowaway on a merchant ship and kept a very low profile – but he underestimated God’s persistence. Thrown overboard by the God fearing crew of the merchant ship, he was swallowed by a massive fish, a whale, a monster or whatever you are having yourself.

He was coughed up by the fish and ended up in Nineveh preaching God’s message. The king and people listened to Jonah, repented and were forgiven by God. Jonah was furious. He had his own idea of what should have happened to them.

All in all, Jonah can reveal a lot to us about God persistence and our futile defiance.