My journey with Jonah ends where it began, back in Calverley Woods.
In this final chapter, God tries to communicate with Jonah through the earthiest of things: plants and worms. Like so many of us, Jonah does not fully grasp the gifts that God is trying to give to him.

Walking in Jonah’s footsteps these past few weeks has been a fascinating process. It's hard to believe that such a brief and seemingly innocent tale can offer up such a rich mix of spiritual encouragement and challenge.

It's also remarkable that Jonah manages to spend so much of this short book asleep. During the storm aboard the ship, he retreats below deck for a quick nap. In this final chapter, he retreats to the outskirts of town in the eager hope that he will get to witness the destruction of Nineveh, only to fall asleep under the shade of a leafy plant.

We spend so much of our life asleep, dulled on a steady diet of consumerism, social media, and work/life pressures. It's only when we pray that we are fully awake.

In the first chapter, the captain of the ship pleads with Jonah to awaken and pray. This is rendered rather beautifully in the King James Bible as:

“What meanest thou, O Sleeper?
Arise, call upon thy God...”

This is the central plea that I think is at the heart of this beautiful, multi-faceted book: We are to stir from our semi-conscious state and commit ourselves to prayer.

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

#16: Age of Rage
#17: A-Camping We Will Go
#18: Every Picture Tells A Story
#19: Let It Grow
#20: The Last Word