Jonah and the whale (or great fish)

“But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.” Jonah 1:17
The book of Jonah is short – only four chapters, or 58 verses – yet it tells us an amazing story. It tells the story of Jonah, the reluctant prophet, told by God to go to Nineveh to preach the word of the Lord against it. But, as we know, Jonah deliberately went in the opposite direction, boarding a boat to Tarshish. God had other plans, and he brought a storm that made the sailors make inquiries into who was responsible. Eventually Jonah confessed and offered to be thrown overboard. It is at this point that God provided a great fish to swallow him, which later spat him out onto dry land, after which he obeyed God and went to Nineveh.
Many people write this off as fiction. But Jesus refers to it as an actual event (Matt. 12:39-40), and if it’s good enough for Him, then it’s good enough for me. In fact, Jesus even points to Jonah’s story as an allegory of how He Himself would spend three days and three nights in the belly of the earth.
These two events are interesting to compare. Both were seemingly impossible situations to get out of. What would you do if you’d been swallowed by a fish? Most of us would give up hope at that point. Similarly with Jesus descending into Hades – no-one had ever returned from there before. But God is in the miracle business. He brought Jonah out alive, and He raised Jesus from the dead.
So if you’re in a seemingly impossible situation today, don’t give up hope. Trust in God – He will bring you through!