Whale or Fish?

How many of you grew up hearing that Jonah was swallowed by a whale? I did. I believe it's because my teachers knew of no other "great fish" in the ocean. I accepted this in my younger years until I learned that whales have a very small esophagus. Jonah couldn't have been in the whale's belly for any length of time let alone three days. So for years I chose to believe that God created one fish for the duty of getting Jonah's attention.

Then one day I was taken to the Bahamas to a resort called Atlantis. Integrated into this huge and spread out complex is an equally expansive aquarium. There are indoor and outdoor tanks mingled around the pools. For example, the shark tank is part of the water slide area. And along side most of the tanks were workers stationed to answer your questions about any of the species or the aquarium itself.

I have to admit I love aquariums. It seems I find a new fish each time I go. And this place was no different. There were fish there of colors and shapes unique to the Bahamas which were wonderful to watch.

One of the fish I came upon was enormous. My friend and I were commenting on the size of it when we were interrupted by the aquarium worker. "Oh, that's just a baby. When he's an adult he can swallow a man." He proceeded to tell of how divers report being swallowed up by this fish and then spit back out. One of his final statements stayed with me. "This is the fish that swallowed Jonah."

I had to laugh at myself. God didn't just create one fish for the job. He created a species that's still alive today as a reminder to modern man. I just had to go to the Bahamas to find it.

I have to wonder though, how many people trip over this one story? Do they not trust God because they've never seen a fish that can swallow a man? If they can't see it or don't hear of it, do they stop trusting or seeking God? Just because we don't see it or know of it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Do we limit God as a result of our limitations?

It definitely helps to discover that what we read about in the Bible is real. It confirms our faith in Jesus, whom we can't see or touch. If you think something, anything, in the Bible is made-up, ask God to show you where to look to find evidence that it's real or can happen. He's faithful and he will.