Last Words
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). Credit for penning this Psalm goes to Moses when he and the Israelites wandered through the desert. This experience brought to light the brevity of life and to live well (wisely), a dependence on God is vital. Jonah finds himself in that same place, though not wandering, but stuck, trapped, with nowhere to go and he finally calls out to the Lord. Making his last words count as he engages the God who never left him in conversation using the truths of Scripture tucked into his heart.
Most of my ideas of what I imagine my last moments to be like are based on the media. Things I’ve read or seen depicted on screen. What will be the last words I say to those around me? I do not know, none of us do. Frank Sinatra’s last words are recorded as “I’m losing.” I must admit these words bring sadness to my heart as they lack hope for anything beyond this life. Famously, Nostradamus predicted the end was near as his last words were “Tomorrow, at sunrise, I shall no longer be here.” And entertainer Groucho Marx said, “Die my dear? Why that is the last thing I’d do” as he remained in utter denial.
The end will come and Jonah sensed that it was coming soon for him and used the opportunity to acknowledge God’s power, seek His presence, and praise Him for deliverance. Whether he got out of the belly or not, he knew the time there would end and that that decision belonged only to the Lord. He had comfort that he was being heard and that he wasn’t alone. Isn’t that what we all want? Not to be alone in our times of distress?
What hardship are you currently facing? Do you feel alone in it? Call out to the Lord and remember the Lord hears and "Salvation comes from the LORD” (Jonah 2:9).
Jessica Klootwyk
Discipleship Director
The Beauty of Rock Bottom
Do you ever feel like you're drowning in life? No matter what you do it’s more and more difficult to get your head above water? Maybe it’s finances, bills keep coming, costs keep rising, and the unexpected happens— car breaks down, water heater goes out, the dog needs a vet. Maybe you’re drowning relationally— almost every important relationship you have seems “off”, your kids aren’t listening or wanting to talk, your spouse seems distant, criticism at work makes it feel like your sinking lower everyday. If you’re single, Mr. or Miss Wonderful just seems further and further out of reach.
We can imagine the feeling Jonah was having as he literally sank deeper and deeper down. He’d disobeyed God, and ran from him. He’d endangered the lives of innocent sailors as he knew this terrible storm was God’s way of getting his attention. And now here he was, thrown overboard into the raging sea. Surely he thought this was it, this was the end; He hadn’t trusted God, obeyed God, or even prayed to God. He just kept sinking down, down, drowning in the waves of shame and regret, drowning in the massive waves made by the God he knew and feared.
But God saw Jonah, and God wasn’t done with Jonah yet. He provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah where he stayed in the belly 3 days and 3 nights. Then Jonah did something, finally; from the belly of a huge fish, Jonah made the first right decision he’d made in some time. Jonah prayed. When Jonah hit rock bottom, he prayed. When he was in absolute darkness, when life stunk more than Jonah ever could have imagined it would—that’s when Jonah finally prayed. Verse 2 says, “from the belly of the grave I cried, Help!”. The word grave here is the Hebrew word Sheol, translated Hell in many places. It took Hell for Jonah to reach out to God.
I suggest to you today, if you feel you are drowning: depressed, discouraged, devastated by life’s circumstances, that might actually be the best place you can be. If sinking to rock bottom compels you to turn to God like Jonah, crying, HELP! Running to the one who made you, knows you and loves you most; that’s a beautiful place to be. When there’s nowhere else to go, nowhere else to turn, God’s arms are faithfully outstretched, ready to lift you up from the belly of the whale. He longs to draw you near to him, and have you walk with him, in the direction he’s always wanted for you—out of the darkness of the belly of the fish and into the light and life of Jesus himself.
Donielle Winter
EFCC Member
The Inner Part
We all love to hear about how our parents came up with our names and maybe you’ve been there yourself. The challenge of choosing the right name is highly personal and sometimes fraught with many emotions and disagreements. All I know is that my father named me and while I ultimately don’t know why he chose it, I do know “Jessica” was one of the top 5 baby names the year I was born. Far from a choice of popularity, in biblical times naming a child helped establish their identity by carrying the symbolic weight of expressing hopes for the child’s future. It often reflected the parents’ faith and relationship with God. So let's look at the names we see in the book of Jonah. Verse 1 reveals that Jonah is the son of Amittai. The name Jonah means “dove” which is often a symbol of peace, purity, new beginnings, and the Holy Spirit. Amittai means “truth” or “faithful” which are qualities of God. These are interesting facts to know as we look for meaning in the book.
The prophet Jonah was to deliver a message to the people of Nineveh that would lead them to truth and peace with God… a new beginning. However, there was a new beginning that God hoped to birth in the messenger himself—the loathsome challenge of loving an enemy. To do this, the inner belly of the ship carried Jonah through a storm and the belly of the giant fish carried him to the physical place where God needed him. But it was the most inward parts of Jonah that carried resentment, bitterness, and hostility instead of love. It’s here in Jonah’s heart that God wanted to bring about transformation.
It’s here in our hearts too that God wants us to bend to the way of love… a way that doesn’t seem fair or to make sense. In fact, the exercise of faith often doesn’t make sense; it simply requires trust in the One who makes sense of it all. Does it make sense that “while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life” (Romans 5:8-10)? I know my own heart and no, it does not. But God. That is all… but God. He knows best and His ways higher (Isaiah 55:9).
What kind of faith is God asking you to have in Him concerning expressing His kind of love? The agape kind. Are there resentments that God is asking you to let go of? Or steps of reconciliation with someone or a group of people that God would have you take? Allow the Holy Spirit to carry your heart to new beginnings where the truth brings freedom, new life, and love that has no limits.
Jessica Klootwyk
Discipleship Director
The Gift in the Storm
Hindsight is 2020, we’ve all seen God take “bad situations” and use them for good. We are usually so focused on Jonah’s disobedience and consequences, it’s easy to overlook God’s bigger picture in this story. He was still using Jonah to bring people to himself. Jonah told the shipmen he feared God. He told them who God was. We also see God’s mercy to Jonah. He could have drowned, but that wasn’t God’s plan. He could have died in the fish, but he didn’t. Our merciful God didn’t save just one man that day.
We see in this chapter God’s plan caused the men on the ship to see him calm the sea after they finally threw Jonah overboard–that he was the all-powerful GOD, and Scripture tells us “Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.” (Jonah 2:16) They believed that God was the one, true God.
We know God has a plan and a purpose, if we can just hold on and keep trusting, even in the storms. People around us who don’t know him, or don’t know him well, are watching. We may never know (in this life) the impact of our responses of trust and faith in the midst of a storm on those people but God knows and often reveals it to us. Jonah told the shipmen to throw him over, trusting that God would calm the seas. God then gave him a “timeout” in the fish’s belly, but protected him. That was one gift, but the second was those men on the ship who believed in the one true God for the first time.
There are so many lessons here, Jonah learned the hard way, but we are still learning as well. God is still using Jonah’s fear, disobedience, running, sharing his belief in God in the middle of a storm, to impact and change lives.
Deb Hill
The Storm and the Fish
Have you ever avoided something you knew the Lord was telling you to do? Knowing the right thing to do and going in the opposite direction. Sadly, I know I have. For clarity, there wasn’t an “audible” voice, but I knew the direction I was going was not where He would have me go.
For some of us there are great consequences that might change the trajectory of our lives. For others, it might not be that drastic. Regardless of the consequence, our Lord remains faithful. In raising our kids, we always said that the Lord is more concerned with our character than our comfort. In turning and repenting, grace and mercy are extended. Hebrews 12:11 states “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
Fleeing from the Lord, Jonah set sail on a ship to Tarshish. A great storm created incredible fear for the Gentile sailors. To find the reason for this storm, they casted lots which fell on Jonah. This incredible storm was sent by the Lord. Was this consequence of his disobedience a punishment for Jonah? Or protection?
Fearful and knowing he was at fault for the storm, Jonah asked to be thrown over. After unsuccessfully praying to their own gods, the sailors tried to get back to land not willing to throw him over. Knowing that his life had value they didn’t want to murder him when throwing him over, so they asked for mercy from the Lord! The very One who could provide that mercy truly did which we will see later. Finally, they chose to throw him over and the sea calmed down. These Gentile sailors praised the Lord when they saw this. This was an amazing protection of their lives.
Do you see a pattern of not trusting the Lord, becoming fearful, taking matters into our own hands and finally turning to the Lord? This is a crisis of faith. God asks us to do something, and we turn to “my will be done” as opposed to “thy will be done.” God remains faithful. He commands, He sends, and He protects and provides. Not in a robotic like fashion, but in a deep-rooted love for His children. The “punishment” can also provide protection.
Lastly, did you ever think of the whale as a protection? I see the mercy of a great fish as protection and provision for Jonah. It is here Jonah stayed in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights. In His great character, the Lord commanded the whale to throw Jonah up onto dry land! What we view as a punishment might actually be his protection and stretching it further, even His provision.
Tammy De Armas
EFCC Member
It is Easy to Run
Sometimes I read a Bible story and instantly judge the person for their lack of wisdom and trust in God. That happened to me last week as the writing team read Jonah 1:1-3,
Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
“Escape the presence of the Lord? What a fool Jonah was,” I was thinking. Then I remembered what I did just 4 days before. On that Saturday, 13 Junior High students, 3 of their parents, and 6 of my leaders and I went to East Tijuana, Mexico to partner with Mexico Caravan Ministries to build 2 houses for families there. It was hard work, but the group accomplished the task and we didn’t even have long to wait in the border line coming home that evening. After all the students were picked up from church I headed home but didn’t make it very far. Just as I gunned the gas to get through the green light on the corner of the church’s lot, my car died. It would start again, but the car wouldn’t respond to pushing on the gas pedal. It would just sit there revving up and slowing down. If I tried to put it into gear it would clunk out. Thankfully, this didn’t happen while driving in TJ, also thankfully, I have AAA auto service. The estimated arrival time of the tow truck was 1.5 hours away. I wondered, “Seriously Lord?”
So I waited and prayed and checked college basketball scores and sang to the Lord a little. Then it occurred to me. I had just concluded a three week series teaching the students how to share their faith, and one of the strategies was to get spiritual conversations going by asking people, “Do you have any spiritual belief?” As soon as I had that thought, my body experienced a wave of relief and excitement realizing that God had set up this divine appointment for me to practice what I had been encouraging the students to do, and more importantly, possibly share the gospel with the person coming to get my car and give me a ride home.
Then, on the way home, I chickened out. I did point out to the tow truck driver that I was on my way home from that church across the street. I mentioned that to see if he might ask more questions about that or show any spiritual interest. He did not, and I didn’t ask him the question, “Do you have any spiritual belief?” I guess it is easy to be like Jonah.
Pray with me that we will be faithful witnesses and not run from the opportunities and assignments God brings our way.
Pastor John Riley
Today’s Scoffers Called Out in Antiquity
The Apostle Peter wrote an amazing devotional to encourage the church about what would happen in the last days on the planet before the Lord’s return. He provides this prophecy to encourage believers towards good and proper thinking in a world where people mock or scoff at God’s story and promises.
Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.
Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. – 2 Peter 3:1-7
A quick summary of each verse in that passage:
A reminder to think about what is good and true.
By remembering what is written in the Bible.
Scoffers will make fun of the Bible so they feel better about living in sin.
Scoffers will deny that Jesus will return, claiming that the natural world goes on today as it always has.
Scoffers intentionally forget that God created the world.
Scoffers intentionally forget that God flooded the world.
They scoff at the idea of an afterlife and God’s judgment.
Peter’s prophecy speaks directly to modern atheists, much of modern culture, and science that denies the supernatural and only sees the world as natural. One crazy thing about the naturalist’s perspective is that as scientific knowledge accrues, much of what gets labeled “natural” appears to be supernatural.
Life is one thing that seems normal and natural. We are used to it and it is all around us, but it is miraculous and remarkable. For example, there is no such thing as a “simple cell” as Charles Darwin described it in his book on “The Origin of the Species.” Every cell is a vast array of complex biological machinery that no human is even close to imagining how it might have come into being without a creator. As Ray Comfort of Living Waters ministries likes to put it, “When you see a building you automatically know there was a builder, when you see a painting you know there was a painter.” Likewise, every cell proclaims there was a creator.
Take another moment to consider Peter’s prediction and give God thanks for his magnificent hand of creation, provision, and salvation.
Pastor John Riley
The Who of the Beginning
When telling a story, sometimes a narrator will say, “This is where it all began.” It’s a way to set the scene and give context for the beginning of a story. However, in the Scriptures, “Where is all began” is replaced with, “Who began it all.” The Bible isn’t as concerned with where or how it began, but with who is responsible for the beginning.
Have you ever walked outside at night, looked up in the sky, and allowed the grandeur of it all to rest on you? If you were to walk outside at night and hold out a dime at arm’s length, the coin would block out 15 million stars from your view if your eyes could see with that power. The vastness of the universe can be overwhelming, but behind it all is a simple, undeniable truth: everything that begins must have a cause. Everything that has a beginning has a Beginning. The universe had a beginning, so the universe must have had a Beginner.
The Bible opens with a bold statement: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). God wasn’t created; he wasn’t caused. He simply is. He existed before time, before matter, before the first breath of creation. The book of Hebrews reminds us, “By faith, we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible” (Hebrews 11:3). God isn’t just the one who knocks over the first domino that sets creation in motion, he’s the one who created each domino and speaks the whole cosmos into being.
If God is powerful enough to create everything from nothing, then he is powerful enough to handle whatever you’re facing today. The same God who spoke galaxies into motion is the same God who sees you, knows you, and cares about you. The same power that formed the stars is at work in your life.
Maybe you’re in a season where life feels chaotic. Maybe uncertainty, loss, or fear has left you feeling unsteady. But the one who set the universe in motion and holds it all together has not forgotten you. The reality of God’s creative prowess isn’t just about the beginning of time - it’s about the God who is still active, still present, and still moving in your story.
So today, take a deep breath. Look up at the sky. Let the vastness of creation remind you that you are held by the one who began it all. He is your creator, your steady foundation, and your eternal hope.
Pastor Ryan Paulson
Let There …
In middle school, all the boys took a woodshop class. It was a rite of passage — an opportunity to create something special. I quickly realized two things:
(1) I couldn’t use a router to make a straight line to save my life.
(2) I had an irrational (or maybe rational) fear of losing my fingers to various saws.
Needless to say, my chance to create something from scratch vanished. But our Creator has no such limitations. He creates without fear, with perfect precision. With just His words, life came into existence: “Let there be light.” Simple, powerful, and life-giving.
Our Creator’s eternal power is evident in everything around us. Where’s your favorite place to visit? Maybe you soak up the sun and play in the waves at the beach. Maybe you hike through the mountains. If you’ve ever witnessed a desert sunrise or sunset, you’ve seen His fingerprints — His artistry — on display beyond anything we could ever create. The natural world reveals His eternal power. And as His creation, we sometimes try to emulate it.
One of my favorite places in the world is Sequoia National Park. The giant sequoias never fail to remind me of God’s power. These towering trees, which seem like they belong to another world, sprout from a tiny seed and grow into giants. When they fall, they shatter with the sheer force of their weight. Their bark can be up to two feet thick, and they even benefit from fire. There is nothing else quite like them. The General Sherman Tree, the largest tree in the world by volume, is estimated to be around 2,200–2,700 years old. That means that while Jesus walked on the earth, this tree had already stood for centuries. To me, that’s a profound and humbling thought.
What part of God’s creation makes you marvel? Where do you see His power so clearly that words aren’t needed? The same power that spoke “Let there be light” is the same power Jesus used to calm the storm. It’s the same power that forgives us. True power—eternal power—comes from God alone, and it is the foundation of all life.
Look to His creation as a reminder of His power, and take a moment today to thank Him for His power to save.
Pastor Jeremy Johnson
Two Books
Romans 1:20 “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.”
To have a divine nature is to possess all the attributes that make God who He is. Francis Bacon said, “God has, in fact, written two books, not just one. Of course, we are all familiar with the first book he wrote, Scripture. But he has written a second book called Creation.”
The divine and eternal God is the concept that God exists outside of time and has always and will always exist. This means that God is not subject to time and does not move through time as we do.
We humans live, move, and exist in time. God relates to time as the Creator of it. God interacts with time as the Ruler and Sustainer of it. God is not bound by time but sees all time equally from beginning to end. He is also the Lord over everything within time. As Lord, He interacts according to His divine nature within time.
God speaks and reveals himself through his creation–”The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” (Psalm 19:1-4)
In Genesis 1 God doesn’t say, “In the beginning, He (God) was created.” God is here at the very beginning of time. His Word declares His eternal nature. When this world was created, and time with it, God already was.
Throughout Scripture, the eternal God is affirmed as in Psalm 90:2–” Before the mountains were born, or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.”
This Chris Tomlin song “Indescribable” speaks to God’s eternal power and divine nature. I hope you will be blessed as you listen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLMVqNwypjA
Deb Hill