SWALLOWED BY A FISH


Have you ever heard of a man swallowed by a big fish?  Not a shark but a big, big fish.
One day, God said to Jonah, "Go to the great city of Nineveh and tell the people to be good."
But, Jonah was scared!  He knew that people in Nineveh were bad people.  So, he ran away.  He went aboard a ship and sailed to Tarshish - a place far, far away from Nineveh.

God sent a big storm.  The wind was so strong and the waves were so big and tall.
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The ship was about to break and sink. All the people in the boat were very afraid.  They started praying to their idols.  But Jonah had gone below the ship's deck where he fell into a deep sleep.  The captain saw him and said, "Hey!, Wake Up! How can you sleep?  Get up and pray to your god!"
                          
The sea was getting rougher and the wind blew stronger.  Jonah knew that God wasn't happy.  The sailors asked him, "What shall we do to make the sea calm down?"  Jonah answered immediately, "Throw me into the sea and it will become calm.  It is my mistake why we are all in trouble.  I disobeyed my God!"

The men did not listen to Jonah at first.  They didn't believe him because they did not know about his God.  They did their best to bring back the ship to the land.  But they couldn't because the storm grew really strong.

Then the sailors thought, "Maybe Jonah is right, let's throw him overboard!"  So, they lifted Jonah and threw him on the water.
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After a few minutes the strong wind stopped and the sea became smooth and calm.  At that time, the men in the ship feared the God in heaven.  They started to worship Him.  They believed that the God of Jonah in heaven is the true God.

And God immediately sent a big, big fish to swallow Jonah. 
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Jonah was inside the belly of the fish for three days and three nights.  He prayed to God and asked to forgive him for not obeying what He said.  God heard Jonah's prayer.
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Then God commanded the big fish to spit Jonah onto the dry land.  Jonah was finally in Nineveh.
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He did what God wanted him to do.  He started to preach and tell the people to obey and believe in God. 
The people felt sorry to their sins and followed God's words.

Children, if we don't want to have any trouble in our lives like Jonah - we should always obey God.  We should listen to His words and follow what He says in the Bible.

John 15:10 says, "If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in His love."