What Does a Fish from the Deep Teach Us About Faith?

The Sturgeon Full Moon is Tonight!

Tonight, the moon rises, and it’s the Sturgeon Moon for August, named by the Algonquin and other Native American tribes who marked this season by the return of the sturgeon, a massive fish that once filled the Great Lakes each August. These ancient creatures, some living over a hundred years, were a symbol of provision and endurance, surfacing from the depths to sustain life.

And as I think about fishermen of long ago standing beneath this moon with their massive catch, I can’t help but think of another fish from the deep and the story of Jonah.

You know the story. A prophet who ran from God’s call boarded a ship headed in the opposite direction and found himself swallowed by a great fish in the middle of a storm. For three days, Jonah sat in the belly of that creature, alone, disoriented, and surrounded by darkness. It wasn’t punishment. It was mercy. It was the deep place where transformation begins.

“From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.”
— Jonah 2:2

In my notes (as seen above are my doodle notes) a few weeks back, as we went through the story again of Jonah at church, I was hit with the thought that the fish that swallowed Jonah saved him from hitting rock bottom, even if it was the ocean’s rock bottom. The fish was sent from God to step in and take control. I have had my own version of Jonah’s fish step in; rock bottom was in sight for me, and I needed to sit in the belly of that beast for years to understand the directional change God was calling me to take.

The Sturgeon Moon reminds me that sometimes, faith isn’t found on mountaintops or in moments of clarity. Sometimes, it’s born in the belly of the unknown. In the places we didn’t choose. In the seasons we didn’t expect.

Jonah’s story isn’t just about obedience; it’s about surrender. It’s about learning that God’s grace reaches even the darkest depths. That the deep isn’t a place to fear, but a place where faith is forged.

And maybe that’s what the Holy Spirit will be whispering tonight if you choose to stand outside under the moon and listen:

That the deep places in our lives, the grief, the doubt, the waiting, aren’t signs of failure. They’re invitations. To trust. To listen. To be remade.

Just like the sturgeon returns each year, just like Jonah emerged from the fish with a renewed purpose, so do we rise again. Not because we’re strong, but because grace is.

So as you look up at the Sturgeon Moon tonight, ask yourself:

What is the deep teaching me?

Where is God meeting me in the places I’d rather avoid?

And what kind of faith is being formed in the belly of this season?

Until next time, keep looking up!

-g

---