Why So Long?

Jonah spent three days and nights
In the belly of the fish.
To the Lord he turned his sights:
Distress at a fever pitch.

God had much for him to learn,
And there he let him languish.
It’s not wise, fiat to spurn:
Tradin’ Nineveh for Tarshish.

If the Lord had let him go
Once seaweed had stopped his fun,
How could future faithful know
If he learned his lesson?

Are you tempted to run fast
Away from God’s clear call?
Hope! But do not be aghast
If deliverance comes slow.

-Wills Osborn
(9/9/19)

“The Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”