But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. – Jonah 1:3, KJV

Let’s admit it. We’ve all done it. We’ve run away from God in pursuit of some sin that will please us but will greatly disappoint our Lord. We chase that sin because we WANT that sin more than we want God, and at the moment we indulge ourselves, we esteem God as worthless in comparison to the sin we so greatly desire.

But, after the sweet taste of sin has turned to gravel in our bellies, we realize what we have done.
We have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and that realization brings with it the darkness of guilt, shame, and reproach. From the darkness we must escape, and from the depths of the whale’s belly we cry out to the only one who can save us from the mire – our Lord. Though we will still have to face the consequences of our sin, God is only too happy to forgive us our sin, restore us to a right relationship with Himself, and use us for His glory.

Like the rebellious Jonah who was used of God to save a city from destruction, God wants to use you and me to save the souls around us. But perhaps we are letting the guilt and reproach of some horrible thing we’ve done shame us into inaction. “You’ve sinned; you’re worthless to God!” the Enemy cries in our ears. “Not so! You’re worth everything to me!” the Savior replies, reminding us that repentance (our part) is followed by forgiveness and restoration (God’s part) without exception. Once forgiven and restored, we are granted the rich and wonderful opportunity to help God grow His kingdom, one soul at a time.

Even from the depths of sin He can restore us and use us. He’s simply waiting for us to make the first move – to turn our backs on our sin and return unto Him.