Day 12 (3/2)
Day 12: The Creativity of God
Scripture Reading: Jonah 1:14-17
Written by Beth Patterson
14 Then they cried out to the Lord, “Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.” 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16 At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.
17 Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
God is creative! When Jonah tried to sail away from God, God created a storm and used the belly of a large fish to be the starting place for Jonah’s second chance.
I must admit that I have struggled to picture Jonah as, well, a real person. You see, I raised my kids on Veggie Tales. Our Jonah was played by none other than Archie Asparagus. Does anyone else remember that classic tune, “The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything?” We still have the Veggie Tales pirate ship in our toy room!
Isn’t that just like God? Jonah’s story is tucked in the Old Testament, a 4-chapter book between Obadiah and Micah. Many of us learned it in Sunday School class, but God gifted Phil Vischer, the creator of Veggie Tales, with the ability to bring His story to life in a new, engaging and musically catchy way. How many children came to know the story of Jonah through Archie Asparagus and his Veggie Tale pals? My kids sure did. And I predict they will remember this story forever.
What Bible story is your favorite?