Jonah’s Stubborn Faith

Jonah 2:4-7

4 Then I said, ‘I am driven away
    from your sight;
yet I shall again look
    upon your holy temple.’
5 The waters closed in over me to take my life;
    the deep surrounded me;
weeds were wrapped about my head.
6 To the roots of the mountains I went down,
    to the land whose bars closed upon me forever.
Yet you brought up my life from the pit,
    O Lord my God.
7 When my life was fainting away,
    I remembered the Lord,
and my prayer came to you,
    into your holy temple.

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Jonah is a funny guy, and I know I’ve been hard on him. (Though, as we shall see, it’s not like he doesn’t deserve it.)

There is a lot he does wrong, but I have to admit I do admire his stubborn faith.

Even when it looks as if he is going to drown—completely because of his own sin—he stubbornly believes the Lord will save him:

Then I said, ‘I am driven away
    from your sight;
yet I shall again look
    upon your holy temple.’

(Jonah 2:4)

Jonah believes that he will see Jerusalem again.

There is a lot not to like about Jonah, but his stubborn faith in God’s mercy is something to emulate.