Blogged by… a rather famous fish. You know, in the Book of Jonah the Prophet.
You might know me. Or at least, you think you do. I’m the so-called “great fish” from Jonah’s story. Yep. That fish. The one who swallowed a runaway prophet whole and kept him tucked inside for three full days and nights.
But what you don’t know is… I wasn’t just a fish doing fishy things. I was a servant. I was summoned. And this is my side of the story.
When God Speaks, Even Fish Obey.
Let me set the record straight: I didn’t randomly stumble upon Jonah. I wasn’t hunting. I wasn’t out for revenge. I wasn’t even hungry.
I was sent.
The voice that spoke the stars into being whispered beneath the waters. And I knew instantly, the God who made me had a mission for me.
“Go,” He said.
Not many understand this, but we creatures of the deep hear Him more clearly than most of humanity. There’s no distraction down here. No city lights. No noise of pride. Just currents… and obedience.
And so I went.
A Prophet Sinking in Despair.
When I arrived on the scene, Jonah was plummeting fast, tossed overboard, running not just from Nineveh, but from the very presence of God. His limbs were limp, his soul spent, his prayers swallowed by saltwater. He didn’t cry out for me. He didn’t even see me coming.
But I was there, waiting in the exact coordinates of divine mercy.
I opened wide, not to destroy, but to preserve. What everyone else would call judgement, God called rescue. What others would see as the end, God saw as the beginning of repentance.
And just like that, Jonah was swallowed… whole.
Three Days of Silence and Wrestling.
Have you ever hosted a prophet in your belly? Probably not. Let me tell you, it’s no ordinary Airbnb experience.
I could feel the wrestling in him. The regret. The resistance. The slow realisation that running from God leaves you nowhere but dark, alone, and stuck, quite literally in my case.
He cried from the depths, not just of the sea, but of his soul.
And even though his words echoed inside me like muffled thunder, I knew something was shifting. Brokenness was doing its work. Repentance was rising. And my job… was to hold him until the moment was right.
I was not his prison. I was his pause. His holding pattern. His place of grace.
And not once, I repeat, not once, did I harm him. The One who sent me ensured I wouldn’t. The same God who can shut the mouths of lions can also neutralise digestive acids. My stomach became a sanctuary. Divine digestion was suspended. Nature obeyed the Creator.
Because mercy always outruns judgement.
The God Who Commands the Sea… and Me.
After three days and nights, that sacred number that would later mirror a tomb in Jerusalem, the voice came again.
“Now, spit him out.”
And I did.
Not roughly. Not vengefully. But with purpose. I released him toward obedience. Toward Nineveh. Toward his calling.
And then I swam away, never seen again, but content.
Because my part was complete.
Just a Fish? Maybe. But Used by God.
I don’t preach sermons. I don’t write scrolls. I don’t stand on city streets or prophesy to kings.
But for three days, I cradled a man who carried a message for a city that God loved.
And I did exactly what I was created to do.
Some of you reading this feel like Jonah, swallowed by your situation, surrounded by darkness, lost in the belly of regret. But maybe… just maybe… the place you see as punishment is actually preservation.
Maybe your “great fish” is God’s mercy in disguise.
And maybe, when He speaks again, and He will – you’ll be spit out right into the centre of your calling.
So take it from me. Obey Him, even if it’s strange. Follow Him, even if you’re underwater. Trust Him, even when it feels like you’re stuck in the dark.
Because the God who commands the waves also commands the fish.
And He never wastes the deep.
Final Thought From the Deep:
“From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. He said: ‘In my distress I called to the Lord, and He answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and You listened to my cry.’” Jonah 2:1-2, NIV
“Then Jonah prayed to his God from the belly of the fish. He prayed: ‘In trouble, deep trouble, I prayed to God. He answered me. From the belly of the grave I cried, “Help!” You heard my cry.’” Jonah 2:1-2, The Message
I’m not the hero of the story. I’m just a fish.
But when God calls, even sea creatures rise.
Written with gills and grace,
The Great Fish – (On mission since 760 B.C.)