Good vs. Comfortable

Jonah 1:17 (NIV)

Now the LORD provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

When I read this verse recently, something about the word provided being used here literally made me chuckle. God provided the fish that swallowed Jonah—that fish was God's provision!

Sometimes what God does for our good doesn’t feel good to us. I can only imagine how that fish must have felt to Jonah.

Slimy.

Smelly.

Scary.

UNCOMFORTABLE.

We tend to equate what is good with what is comfortable, but what I've come to realize is that those two words don't always go hand in hand. That fish was God’s provision of mercy. It saved Jonah’s life, it brought him to repentance, and it provided Jonah a second chance at obedience. But it was definitely not comfortable.

And what about the storm?

It was life-threatening. It didn’t feel good. But it was the catalyst for Jonah's second chance, and it was the thing God used to reveal Himself to those in the boat who didn’t know Him (Jonah 1:16)!

God’s idea of good and our idea of good aren’t always the same. God's idea of good isn't always comfortable. I guess we could call it uncomfortable good:) But when God uses the uncomfortable for good, great things happen in us and great things happen through us!