After his misadventure in the belly of the whale, Jonah finally makes it to the big city, Nineveh.

The pandemic has decimated our urban spaces.
Cafes that once bustled with life now sit empty.
Previously busy offices are semi-populated.

Large metropolitan areas get a mixed reputation in Scripture. They are usually cesspits of human sin and degradation. Think of Enoch, Babel, and Sodom.

One of my favourite Bible verses are the words that God utters to the other prophet, Jeremiah;

“Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile.
Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

It reminds me that I am not to withdraw from the world, no matter how distasteful some parts of it may be. We are to play an active part in its flourishing, rather than exhibit pious superiority. This is one of the lessons Jonah is about to learn as he enters those city gates...

Walk with the prophet. Ride the whale. Meet God anew.
Richard Jobes

#11: The Prophetic Imagination
#12: Manic Street Preacher
#13: The Apologist
#14: Who knows?
#15: Things Change