Jonah wanted to die
this was his choice
for he was the prophet who despised God’s voice.
So he ran helter-skelter into a great wind
into a great storm
the waves reaching for him –
He told the sailors to throw him far in the sea
he would rather die than to bend the knee.
He would not go to Nineveh
the city of blood
and warn the evil brood who might respond to God’s love.
What if instead of paying the price for their sins
God showed them mercy
so Jonah went for a swim.
A new prophet he thought God would conscript
so he opened his mouth
and he parted his lips.
Yet right in the moment of his deepest despair
his lungs were not filled with water
but air.
It was dark
it was wet
and it was so very cold
Jonah never guessed a fish would swallowed him whole –
In spite of himself, Jonah began to rejoice –
For he was alive. That was God’s choice.