“And the word of Jehovah came unto Jonah the second time..” Jonah 3:1
A familiar story by now, we know about Jonah and his supposedly failed escapade. And while we can reflect and laugh at him (what was he thinking, running from God in the physical realm?), we probably need to take a harder look at what this story means for us personally.
It has been on many occasions that we probably find ourselves messing up, failing to heed, going our own way under the rationale of “exploring” that we find ourselves in the exact place of Jonah. My curious little daughter can sometimes be a handful. Despite forewarnings of consequences, she knows the extent to which she can push her limits and sometimes prefers us extending forgiveness than for her asking for permission (think electrical plugs, ends of a high standing bed, etc). Yet each time, we have to repeat ourselves ad nauseam after subsequent episodes and even resort to (you know it) taking out the rod of correction to bring some weight to our rubric.
Perhaps you are reading this and have had thoughts of guilt or self-deprecation that include “how can I ever get a second chance after what I have done? If only I did not follow that bad company of ‘friends’. If only I did not get into that relationship with that person. If only I had studied and not gotten distracted.” And the list goes on.
Our God is a God of second chances. Call out to Him as His child, seek forgiveness and ask for a realignment of your heart to His. He is preparing to send your second chance along the way.