Jonah 3:1–2: “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.'”

November 22nd, 2021 by Pastor Ed in devotional

We serve the gracious God and Savior of the second chance. God displays His mercifulness toward His wayward children in extraordinary ways. Even though Jonah had done everything he could physically do to resist the first call of God on his life, after he repented, God graciously called him a second time. Certainly God had no obligation or need to use this particular human, but He did so because, as our Father, it is His heart’s desire to develop His children into men and women of God. Presumption is a dangerous thing and we should never presume that we will always get another chance, but the Bible is full of examples of the graciousness of God.

German pastor Helmut Thielicke kept an old photograph of a nativity pageant near his desk. Hardened, rough-looking men were dressed as angels, while equally gruff-faced men cowered before them as the frightened shepherds of Bethlehem. The picture had been taken in a prison and the men in it were inmates who had gotten saved. The picture served as a beautiful parable to the pastor, reminding him of God’s ability to overcome any and all human sin.

“LORD, we do not want to presume but we are so grateful that You say that You are the God of the second chance for us today.”