When Jonah is mentioned, people usually remember only their shortcomings: that he disobeyed God on several occasions and that he was somewhat stubborn. However, he also had great virtues. Keep in mind that Jehovah chose him to be his prophet, and he would not have done it if he had not been a faithful and just servant. The Bible reveals some details that help us to know Him better (read 2 Kings 14:25). For example, we know that it came from Gat-hefer, which was only four kilometers (two and a half miles) from Nazareth, the town where Jesus would be raised some eight hundred years later. Jonah served as a prophet when the evil king Jeroboam II ruled over the 10 tribes of the kingdom of Israel. It had been a long time since Elijah was gone, and his successor, Elisha, had died during the reign of Jeroboam II's father. Through these two prophets, Jehovah had eradicated the cult of Baal, but Israel had gone astray again. The country was now under a king who persisted in doing "what was evil in the eyes of the Lord" (2 Kings 14:24). So being a prophet in those times should not have been easy. Even so, Jonah faithfully fulfilled his mission. Without hesitation, he "rose up and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord" (Jon 3: 3). It is obvious that he learned from his mistakes, because he obeyed immediately. We see here another aspect in which we can imitate the faithful Jonah.
Needless to say, we all sin and make mistakes (Romans 3:23). The question is how we react when we fail. Do we give up? Or do we learn from our mistakes and get back on track? The people listened to the call of GOD and believed that Jonah spoke on behalf of Him. He says that they dressed in sackcloth and fasted for Jehovah to forgive their offenses, the use of sackcloth and ashes was also formerly considered as a sign of humility and penance. When people used sackcloth and ashes to help them reach the spiritual strength to commune with God; this practice was also accompanied with fasting and prayer. Daniel, for example, gives this explanation as a preface to the account of one of his great requests to the throne of grace: 'And I turned my face to God the Lord, seeking him in prayer and supplication, in fasting, sackcloth and ashes. And I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession (Daniel 9: 3-4, Isaiah 58: 5, 1 Kings 21: 17-29). The sackcloth and the ashes (accompanied by prayer and a contrite heart before the Lord) became a symbol of the most sincere and humble repentance. God saw what they did; and because they turned from their evil way and repented, God set aside the evil that He had said would come upon them.
None of this would have happened if Jonas had not decided to follow God and obey him. It was perfect? No, of course it was not but remember that God is glorified in our weaknesses (2Co 12: 9) and having that in mind, God really glorified in that man who was very grumpy, because I'm sure Jonas had a heart that pleased God so much that it made God consider him his intimate and that's why he spoke to him.
The prophet Jonas teaches us that it is necessary to have a heart that loves God to be able to hear it, also that the way we want or the way we do things will not always be the right one before God. Another thing that teaches us is that no matter how imperfect we are, if God has a plan in us and sees a heart with the right intentions, he will work on improving us and will execute his plan. Last, but not least, it clearly teaches us that it is better to leave pride aside and obey without shortcuts so as not to finish three days reflecting on our bad attitude, inside a big fish.