My Mom and my brother and my daughter all have this make-it-look-easy ability to draw. They can imagine things and sketch them. t’s really cool. And when they’re done, people know what it is. That’s not my gift. As an ESL teacher, I often draw on the board to explain ideas to students, but I never see improvement from all the practicing. My wild attempts at adding a visual to my explanations are often met with snickering and sometimes big, open-mouth laughs, even when my students catch the drift of the lesson anyway.
So last month when I started drawing in my sermon notebook during Sunday morning church, I should’ve been more aware that God was up to something. When I was finished it looked like an actual thing. It’s still not art, but it became something more than doodle, and that alone is a shock. I started the drawing by making swirly lines in doodle fashion and then connecting them to other flowing lines. No talent here. I was intently listening to a sermon on how human prosperity isn’t quite the same thing as the way God prospers our souls and I unknowingly and quite accidentally made a sketch of a whale on the water. I wasn’t thinking about whales at all. I wasn’t feeling creative. I was just wasting ink from my green-colored pen in a place where I normally write just words. And though the sketch itself still looks rudimentary, it surprised me that it took form at all.
Later that evening I got the idea that God might be directing me with that picture. That’s a new one, but I’m open to anything these days. Tom and I have been spending most of our prayer time questioning God. We have been asking for divine healing of course, but we are also asking for His guidance through this time of illness. We are hopeful that this nerve damage that’s been keeping me from walking will be reversed. So, how could I ignore any oddball sign that might be from God. If I drew a picture of a whale on the water during church, I figured I might need a refresher lesson on Jonah and the Whale from the Old Testament or something. “May as well read it,” I thought.
It was a relief to find that the homework assignment God seemed to be giving me wouldn’t take long. Jonah only has four short chapters. Good. I could see if God was speaking all lickety-split like and be no worse off for having re-read a Bible story.
So, I settled in with the Old Testament book of Jonah using the Bible app in my phone before I fell asleep that night. With Tom snoring soothingly behind me, I finished the four chapters and had absolutely no revelation at all. The snoring lulled me into my own quiet sleep, and I promptly forgot all about Jonah.
Wouldn’t you know it, Pastor Mark’s sermon a few weeks afterward cited a passage from Jonah, and I was again inspired to pick up the Bible. During our Monday Night Fellowship, we together tackled the whole book again and BAM! Just like that, I saw why the Lord showed me this often-dismissed Bible story. The relevance for us is a true gift.
In the account, Jonah is asked by God to go directly to a town called Ninevah so that he can preach about the God of Heaven there and save them all from their sinful nature. Jonah doesn’t feel like it. He purposefully defies God and gets in a boat to sail off in the opposite direction, only to be caught in a terrible storm and cast overboard. God saves Jonah from the raging seas and provides the shelter of a whale’s belly as the vehicle that carries him (guess where?) straight to Ninevah by way of whale vomit: exactly where God wanted him in the first place! That’s not the part that had personal relevance, though. It’s a bigger message.
It occurred to me then that, even though Jonah may have felt forgotten and pretty scared as he got tossed into the middle of an angry ocean during a dangerous storm –expecting to die even — he was going exactly where God wanted him to go. No mistakes. And then I thought about when Jonah was actually swallowed by the whale, sitting in the dark, stinky innards of a swimming mammal. He must have felt relief there in the dark because he survived the ocean waters, but I’ll bet he also felt confusion and fear and dread, completely not seeing that God’s plan was to carry him back to the path originally intended and truly prosper his soul.
We know how this story ends. Jonah lives to tell about his experience in the whale’s belly. After three long days in darkness and stink, he emerges on a beach when God causes the whale to vomit. Gross. And really cool, too. To see the whale as the provision of God instead of as the problem itself sheds new light on my view of what stinks. To see the storm as the blessed direction of God is a great relief.
It also makes a thousand times more sense to me that James later wrote, “Count it all joy, my brethren, when you find yourselves in trials of many kinds,” because the trial itself could be the blessing.
Who ever wants to count it all joy when we find ourselves in trials of any kind? We definitely don’t feel blessed if we are suffering. Pain doesn’t make us want to smile. My inability to walk certainly doesn’t have us giddy with joyful laughter, either. The idea that God is spending time prospering our souls by blessing us with divine direction is joyful, though. I am honored and humbled that God is still working on us.
Could it be that God is preparing us for a future we can’t yet see? Maybe. Maybe His plan is to move us from a wrong place to a right one in whatever means will grab our attention. In Jonah’s case, God has definitely gotten his attention. Jonah’s trial is awful, life-threatening, terrifying, lonely. And Jonah strangely prays a prayer of gratitude while inside the whale! He’s grateful for God sparing his life by providing the whale to swallow him so he didn’t drown in the ocean. Such faith! Such trust! Imagine? Being grateful for what most would count as their struggle?
And what about me and Tom? Are we grateful for the trial that we are in?
It doesn’t smell fishy, but our trial stinks, too. My legs just don’t work right. Tom pushes me through doctor appointments and into my classroom to teach. We somehow manage to get into diners or other public places at times without the wheelchair, but when we do, it presents new struggles. The world caters to those who can walk. And I need to sit. That stinks, right? And we certainly do complain. We don’t like the storm that we are in. And we don’t always count it all joy.
But, wait. God actually does have a plan. We already know that. And He had a plan for Jonah, too. The next part of his story says that Jonah obeyed the Lord. He did preach to the people of Ninevah, and they repented and turned back to God. The people were spared, even though Jonah tried to run off instead. That means Jonah’s trial is a blessing. What if every one of our trials is God accomplishing something? Seeing trials as a means for God to move us from a wrong place to the right one actually makes it possible to feel joyful about trials. If troubles truly do bring us closer to the path where we belong, then woohoo! James is right. We are blessed to be directed. That’s joy.
Unlike familiar Bible stories, we don’t have the privilege of turning ahead to the last pages to see that our trials turn out okay. It takes faith and trust to remember that God said He has a plan. We have to remember to look at His faithfulness of the past and persevere expecting good things to come.
As Monday Night Fellowship closed for that week, I felt lifted and carried and really blessed to have been directed by God to read Jonah through a misplaced stream of consciousness-type sketch. Tom and I are in the belly of a whale. We don’t know our destination or how long our traveling will take; we only have the evidence of the stories before us to rely on. For now, we wait and pray trying to remember not to get angry or to feel hopeless or to do battle with the trial itself, even if the suffering seems to be lasting too long.
Waiting is hard. Three days must’ve felt like forever to Jonah. No kidding — we are impatient for the moment we get to become whale vomit, too, but we are sure God is doing something right now. And judging by the masterpiece above, it likely has nothing to do with a talent for drawing.
***THANKS FOR READING. PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT. I’D LOVE TO HAVE THE FEEDBACK.
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Thanks Catherine for the good attitude that you have developed with God. As I told you before I’m on that road that you appear to be living. That is going through life under the guidance of Christ waiting for the next event and trying not to get in the way of what He put before you and accepting what comes with contentment. Maybe not in the moment but upon reflection getting back on the surrendered-to-track and trying to appreciate what He provides no matter what. That is what I think I know and am living. Make Sense? Take Care.
Love,
Cousin George
It does make sense, George. And I guess it’s our perspective on the “next event” you mention above that matters. It’s easy to see how people can just give up or start to dread the future when the present trials are already hard. Without reminding each other to meditate on His promises, we would all fall into despair. Reminds me of THE PILGRIM’S PROGRESS again, by John Bunyan. It’s an awesome allegory about the life of any-old Christian. It’s a great depiction of how to face the truth that James states in the New Testament: we will face trials of many kinds as disciples of Christ. And we are blessed to face them in the shadow of the Most High.
I’m always blessed to hear form you. Thanks for reading, George. 🙂
Here’s a link to PILGRIM’S PROGRESS. Our Monday Night Fellowship started (and never finished this) last year. Truly, my illness interrupted our reading when we were forced to cancel for several months during the worst days of my symptoms. Maybe this is a nudge for us to get back on track and finish the book. myhttps://www.amazon.com/John-Bunyan-Pilgrims-Progress/dp/1541072642
Keep the faith, Catherine. The Lord expects great things from both you and Tom, and your lovely family. I enjoyed your article (and even the picture!)
Thanks for the encouragement, Bob. I’m laughing at my own lack of talent there on that sketch, but recognizing the blessings also. Can’t wait to find out what God has for us to do next. Thanks for reading.
Wow! I just read 1 Peter 1. It’s all about trials and I also just texted my sister and Bible buddy about how the trial of “walking” alongside my son Nicky while he struggled with drugs for 10 years resulted in his deliverance and God showing me what He can and will do for His children. I call it my “WOW MOMENT “ when I was totally in awe of God. I was directed to read 1 Peter 1 and then read your blog. What a powerful testimony.
1Peter 1:6.. “ So be truly glad. There is a wonderful joy ahead although you must endure many trials for a little while.”
This reflection reminds me that just like Jonah, Jesus was also in a dark place for three days to give us Resurectiion Power!! Stay in Faith!!! Psalm 23 saids that from time to time we all pass through Vallies but we’re not meant to stay there. You are just passing through, you’ll come out!!!
I know is not easy to count it all joy when you are going through it but you’ll come out better and stronger than you were before and your test will be your testimony!
Thank you, Esther. You’re right. The important word for us to remember from verse 1 of Psalm 23 is THROUGH. We aren’t meant to camp out there in the valley of the shadow of death. We have a Guide with us that takes us through it and on to something more. I needed that reminder, Esther. Listening to doctors is defeating. Our hope is only in God. Wonderful encouragement from people like you helps us to keep hoping and expecting relief. Thanks for reading. 🙂
Betty! Now I’m Wow-ing! Thank you for sharing that. I think if we really take the time to consider it, we can all find example after example of how a trial in our past has brought us to some revelation in our present. God says He turns all things around for our good. It’s just true. The trick is to carry that thought with confidence into our future, because there very well may be another doozy of a storm up ahead. Interesting how God prepares us to face more and more and strengthens our ability to weather storms. I love your heart, Betty. Thank you for reading. ?
Thanks, for that, Catherine. You are certainly not alone in the darkness!
Amen, Bob. Thank you for taking the time to read and comment. It’s good to know that we don’t hope on our own and that we aren’t the first ones to feel scared or angry in a trial. I’m looking forward to praying together again someday soon. Every Monday 7pm. All welcome. 🙂
I just read your whole account detailing your
Pain, how we take something as simple as walk-in for granted once our legs stop functioning they
We want them to. Catherine, you are a woman
Of faith, Tom is constantly by your side and
This is also a blessing to have such a
Phenomenal human being by your side!!
I pray for you both to soon wallow in the
Vomit of a new beginning!!
LOL!!! Isn’t it ridiculous to look forward to wallowing in the vomit of a new beginning! But, yes! We really are doing exactly that! And I’m ever-grateful for such a devoted and loving partner to be by my side through this. Tom’s a gift. Hope you are well, Lucia. Thanks for reading.
Thanks for sharing your insights, Catherine, as you go through this incredibly difficult trial. You always seem to be joyful, despite the hard times. That is a blessing in itself. I’m working on that one.
Thanks, Maren. I love that you were one of the Monday Nighters on the night we read Jonah together. You know how we just stumble upon truth sometimes. It’s answer to prayer really when we are led to just the right message. And then when we commit to studying it, we get better at letting go and feeling peace and joy in any situation. It’s easier to commit to studying when we are part of a regular group. Thank you for your faithfulness to our fellowship time together. It blesses us more than we can express.
It is very comforting to see that others are suffering from the same problem as you, wow!
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