Surprised by Grace

The Big Fish - Phillip Ratner

I'm almost finished with this book Surprised by Grace - about the account of Jonah - You know the one about the prophet that doesn't want to go, the boat, the storm, the big fish, three days in the belly of the beast and then spit out on the shore.

Most of us have heard about Jonah or seen the Veggie Tales movie but have you ever really thought about it?

Well Tullian Tchividjian has.  As he walks us step by step through the account weaving into his retelling historical artists paintings, sculptures and from Herman Melvill's Moby Dick  he extrapolates on Mapple's sermon he helps us to see what God is telling us through Jonah's life - his human life, someone who loved God yet ran from him, a sinner, a prophet, and ultimately shares something about God and ourselves.



A quote from the book:

"God owes no explanation to Jonah (or to us) for what he has done with the Ninevites.  But in his overflowing grace, he works to help Jonah (and us!) to understand it all better.  God is still coming after Jonah (and us!) to teach us more about his grace.

"God never gives up on you.  There's no one whose patience and forbearance toward you will ever be greater or longer lasting than God's.  Your wife or husband won't be this patient with you - your kids won't, your friends won't, your coworkers won't, your pastor won't.  They'll all fail you at some point.  You'll feel dehumanized, cheapened, discouraged, depressed, or radically disappointed by everyone and everything in this world.

"But not by God. Nothing and no one will ever be as patient and forgiving toward you as God is.  In all of existence, God is the only reality who refuses to give up on those he knows.

"In unforgettable events and imagery, the story of Jonah reveals how this perfectly patient God pursues fugitives - a God who has every right to give up on rebels like us and to move on, but doesn't.  It's a story that reveals forever the heart of God for sinners from every race, every age, and every social class."
- Tullian Tchividjian in his book Surprised by Grace -  (pages 138-139)



Surprised by Grace: God's Relentless Pursuit of Rebels

Video from Author