Rerouted: 30 Days Through the Book of JonahSample

Salvation in the Depths of Despair

Brittany Tate

Jonah 1:17

One defining moment stands out as the turning point in my walk with Christ: It was my rock bottom, a season of rebellion that led me to despair. Yet that hopeless season led me to surrender to God's grace, reminding me that God’s redemptive love turns our lowest moments into powerful testimonies.

Today’s verse highlights Jonah’s despair as he tried to run from God, yet it also calls attention to God’s sovereignty and grace. As Jonah sank in the sea, seemingly to his death, God intervened by “appoint[ing] a great fish to swallow up Jonah” (Jonah 1:17). No depth is too great for God’s divine will!

Jonah 1:17 reveals both God's miraculous salvation of Jonah’s life and His authority over all creation. In Hebrew, the word for “appointed,” manah, can also mean “to count or number,” as in Psalm 147:4: "He determines [manah] the number of the stars." God’s sovereignty is both cosmic and personal, as He also numbered and orchestrated Jonah’s three days in the belly of the fish.

And most importantly, Jonah’s experience points to a greater divine appointment. As Jesus referenced in Matthew 12:40, Jonah was a sign of His own death, burial and resurrection. While Jonah was unwillingly “swallow[ed] up” by a fish in Jonah 1:17, Jesus willingly endured the cross and “swallowed up” death in victory when He rose from the grave (1 Corinthians 15:54).

What seemed like a hopeless descent for Jonah and Jesus was the pathway to redemption. Eventually, God released Jonah from the fish after three days, leading to the repentance of a nation (Jonah 2:10; Jonah 3:5). Jesus' resurrection after three days in the tomb secured eternal salvation for all who believe in Him.

Our Savior has proven that God’s grace is greater than our rebellion, and sin and death have no hold on those who trust in Him. Jesus' love offers us salvation in the depths of despair!

Today's passage reminds me that God’s love met me at my lowest point, just as He rescued Jonah — so I'm reinvigorated to tell others of His redeeming grace “that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Together, as believers, we can look forward to the day “He will swallow up death forever” (Isaiah 25:8).