With Shouts of Grateful Praise
“But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’” ~Jonah 2:9
Do you know from where this verse was uttered? If you notice the book, you’ll probably guess correctly. The next verse nails it: “And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.”
God then tells Jonah, “Now get up and go do what I told you to do in the first place.” The book of Jonah is all about second (and third and fourth) chances. It shows that if God wants you to do something, He’s going to ensure it gets done.
It doesn’t appear that Jonah read the Prophet 101 handbook because he emphatically opposed God's command. But God wasn’t having it - He made sure that Jonah fulfilled his calling, no matter how grudgingly. The entire city of Nineveh, 60 miles wide with a population of 120,000, was saved. By one man doing everything he could to avoid it!
You've been given a calling by God. No matter how much you feel that you've screwed it up, you do NOT have the power to take away a calling God has given you. But God had a plan, and His plans always stand. Proverbs 19:21 "People may plan all kinds of things, but the LORD's will is going to be done."
God is relentless in His pursuit of you - His love chases you down. He sees you as you truly were meant to be, as He created you. You may think you are worthless and a failure, but God does not - read the story about Gideon in Judges 6. He was hiding like a coward from the surrounding enemies, trying to get some grain for his family. The Angel of the Lord appears and calls him "Mighty Man of Valor". (I love God's sense of humor). Gideon resisted for a bit, but eventually followed God's directions and defeated the enemy with only 300 men.
God will give you another chance and another chance and another chance to get back on track. He loves you that much. You can't run and you can't hide. If God wants you to do something, He will give you everything you need to get it done.