The God of second chances

The Bible is full of people who received second chances. King David, Peter, Jonah and even Samson were all beneficiaries of God’s grace. Sometimes, and because God is so good, He even gives us third and fourth chances and this only shows how patient and forgiving He is.

It also shows that God is not finished with us and despite our rebelliousness, He gives us a chance to receive His grace so that He can fulfill His rightful purpose in our lives. Colossians 3:12 says, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” God gives us second chances and in turn, we must give the same to others.

In life, I am learning, it is important for us to have a heart in tune with the Lord’s. Take, for instance, the story of Jonah, a reluctant prophet who was commanded by God to preach to the wicked city of Nineveh. As the story goes, Jonah is thrown overboard during a storm and a big fish swallowed him for three days until he was spat out in order to fulfill his mission. In short, Jonah initially disobeyed God’s instructions and it took a giant fish to swallow him so he could repent and do what God wanted him to do from the beginning.

In the end, the city of Nineveh turned from their violent ways and God spared the people from destruction. Jonah was not pleased with God’s decision to spare the city, but God showed him just how big His mercies are – even for his enemies.

The lessons we learn from the story of Jonah can be applied today, as the world is continually being filled with so much hate, strife, unforgiveness and fear yet, in the midst of all these, God is working – arranging, aligning and preparing things for good.

The other day, my husband and I were watching the news over breakfast and, as depressing as the news was, he asked me if I felt affected and I simply answered, “God is in control.” He completely agreed. Nowadays, we tend to see things more from the eternal perspective and keep our focus on this as we appreciate how God brings purpose out of difficulty. We may not see it, but God is often arranging circumstances, opening doors or closing others behind the scenes. Even during our darkest days, God is always working and weaving broken pieces into beautiful things – all meant for a higher purpose.

Jonah ran from God’s command and because of his disobedience, God sent a violent storm and a big fish to swallow him yet, little do we realize that it was in this very moment that God, the God of the impossible, made this very same fish become Jonah’s refuge, saving him from drowning. It was in this very same pit that Jonah experienced God’s grace as he repented and God delivered him from the “belly” of disobedience.

God is not a God that delights in punishment and the only requirement all of us have is to accept the free gift of forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Jonah’s deliverance was a demonstration of God’s grace – He gave Jonah a second chance because God’s heart is a heart of mercy and when we understand His heart, we are then able to speak to people who do not know the Lord and we can convey the same kind of mercy because we are in tune with God’s heart.

A genuine spirit of revival happened in the city of Nineveh because they embraced the mercy of God. But not many people know of the mercy of God and they struggle by continuously looking at their sin while the devil makes it worse by forcing them to dwell on their mistakes that allow them to be overwhelmed and discouraged.

This shows a heart that is not in tune with God’s mercy. God wants to reveal our hearts just as He saw Jonah’s heart for the people of Nineveh. God will allow our “buttons” to be pushed so that we have a chance to align our hearts with His. In the end, God `saw the hearts of the people of Nineveh and as wretched as the city was, God saw their faith and repentance.

God extends grace to all of us. He transforms, restores and gives us new beginnings. God is not only a God of mercy but also a God who is always faithful and, as Proverbs 16:9 says, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” God ultimately determines the final outcome and he can redirect situations and outcomes as He sees fit – God simply appoints everything, including our second chances, where the only requirement is to have our hearts in sync with His.