Do people read Fairy Tales anymore?

 

Do you remember reading fairy tales? Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk, The Elves and the Shoemaker, were all a part of my childhood. 

Do people read Fairy Tales anymore? 

When I read the story of Jonah, I think it should start with once upon a time. But, it is not a fairy tale. It's in the Bible and it is real. Ok, I know many people, even good Christians, believe it is not real. How could someone survive inside the belly of a great fish? If you do a Google search, there is nearly total agreement that this is impossible. Yet, in Matthew 12:40, Jesus, himself, vouches for the authenticity of the story.

"For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights." (Matthew 12:40)

This certainly is a miracle. We read in  KJV, Jonah 1:17, that God prepared the fish for this special task:

"Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah...." (Jonah 1:17) God knew this event was out of the ordinary and he prepared his creation to accomplish this special mission!

I ask you a simple question, "Which is more miraculous, Jonah living for three days in the belly of a great fish or Jesus rising from the grave after three days?"

I believe in miracles. I have seen miracles, I have heard the voice of God, and received similar directions that Jonah received! When God says Go, I GO, and I do not ask questions! (Ok, I probably do have a bit of Jonah in my personality and I often question what he is doing! LOL) This is no fairy tale to me. It is real and it is a story of God's grace, mercy, and patience with a stubborn preacher. This story is a wonderful foreshadowing of Jesus dying and rising three days later. God snatching Jonah from sure death is the same as snatching Jesus from sure death. 

I love the other parallels to Jesus' story. Remember when Jonah was sleeping in the boat with the raging storm all around? The crew finds him and says, "How can you sleep at a time like this?" Jesus did the same thing when he was with the disciples. Through his power and obedience to his Father in Heaven, he was able to calm the storm. Through Jonah realizing his folly, God calmed the storm and saved his life.

I praise God for these wonderful, miraculous stories of the Bible. They are so important to my own walk with Jesus. I have never had a doubt of their truth and their authenticity. My God is a god of miracles and the spectacular! He will go to great lengths to get our attention and guide the path of those who love him. 

What does God have to do to get YOUR attention?

If you are stubborn like Jonah, I wouldn't go fishing any time soon!