From Ruin to Restoration - Part 6 - Jonah

Backsliding is not always obvious. A believer can attend church, carry the right Bible, and even do the work of God while the heart grows cold toward Him. That is where we find Jonah: a true prophet who knew God's voice and God's Word, yet when the Lord said "Arise, go to Nineveh," he rose up to flee to Tarshish instead. His rebellion cost him dearly and carried him down, down to Joppa, down into the ship, down into the sea, and down into the belly of a great fish. But the fish God prepared was not merely punishment; it was preservation. At rock bottom Jonah repented, and the word of the LORD came to him the second time. God restored His runaway prophet, used his eight word sermon to bring the greatest citywide revival in Scripture, kept working on his heart even after his obedience, and redeemed his lowest moment as a sign pointing to the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. No failure has to be final, because our God is the God of the second chance, and salvation is of the LORD.