Jonah 2:9 NKJV
“But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.”
God’s goodness and patience are indeed one of His ways of bringing people to the right state of heart and mind (Rom 2:4). Left to himself, mankind is naturally full of himself and thinks he knows it all until God shows him otherwise—which is often an unpleasant experience. Jonah went that path. When he initially thought he could run away from God’s calling, flee from His presence, and be indifferent to the mercy that the LORD wanted to show the City of Nineveh, God gave Jonah time to take his course of action, which turned rough within no time.
Our obedience to God’s leading not only brings Him glory but shields us from so many would-be problems, disappointments, and regrets. Yes, it is so important to remember that the LORD knows better, always! Heeding His leading is the best and the wisest thing to do at all times and in all circumstances. Jonah came to terms with such truth when he was “in the belly of hell” (Jon 2:2). Graciously, God—whose presence is inescapable—reached out in mercy and miraculously saved Jonah’s life. However, the runaway prophet was not left the same! God’s goodness and patience towards Jonah brought him to repentance: a change of heart and mind to see things God’s way.
As a result, Jonah’s commitment to God took a totally different face: while others would be given over to observing lying vanities and forsaking their own mercy, he decided thus: “But I will sacrifice to You [God] With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed”, as in our text. Hallelujah! Notice, he who had started out with the voice of resistance and perhaps complaining had been changed to sacrifice to God with “the voice of thanksgiving.” What a radical yet blessed transformation! Beloved, as Jonah would realize, “Salvation is of the LORD [alone]”, a truth that would be fully revealed in and through Christ Jesus! Oh, we’ll do so well to always honour God for that.
Pst. Emmanuel