Prior to the start of this story, Jonah has been ordered by God to go to Nineveh and tell them the word of the Lord. However, Jonah disobeyed and wound up facing a storm and eventually being swallowed by a great fish where he has been for three days and three nights.
Now we pick up in the next part of the story.
Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, "I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried and you heard my voice. For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. Then I said, 'I am driven away from your sight, yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.' The waters closed in over me to take my life, the deep surrounded me, weeds were wrapped about my head at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever, yet you brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you, what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!" Then the Lord spoke to the fish and it vomited Jonah out onto dry land.
Did you notice when Jonah prayed? He didn't pray to God until he had been in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. Jonah didn't call out to God until after he was in trouble. Is that when most of us pray today, when a loved is sick, during a death, or some other tragedy? Do we only pray to our Heavenly Father when we're in the belly of the fish? Aren't we instructed to pray at all times. I loved what I saw on a church sign around town recently that read, "If you only pray when you're in trouble...you're in trouble."
In the first part of Jonah's prayer, he acknowledges that God answers him. Even in the midst of a sinful mistake, punishment from the Lord, and dire circumstances, Jonah acknowledges that the Lord answers his prayer. Picture how upset God is with Jonah right now, Jonah wouldn't obey, nearly took down other people during his disobedience, and then it took him three days inside a fish before he prayed to God. Yet God still answered his prayer. And he still answers our prayers today, whether it's praising him for all the good things in our life, complaining about the things we think are bad in our life, or asking him about things we don't understand. I'm thankful that the Lord still listens to prayers of sinners.
Look at some of the things Jonah says next: "I am driven away from your sight," "the waters closed in over me," "the deep surrounded me," the bars of the land were closing on him, and his life was fading away. Jonah finally begins to recognize the fact that his sin has brought judgment upon him. We see him waking up to the fact that he cannot go on in disobedience to God. Are there any signs in your life right now that make you ask yourself if you're doing everything God is asking you to do?
And then notice what Jonah does next. He lifts up his voice with thanksgiving, and says he will sacrifice and honor his vows to the Lord. Does that sound familiar? Isn't that the same thing the lost mariners did in the first part of the story when they began to fear the Lord? Sometimes if we've let our relationship with God become weaker and distanced ourselves from him, to get that true repentance we have to get back to the basics in order to revive that relationship.
Then as this section of the story concludes, we see the continuing power and control over nature and animals by our Heavenly Father as He speaks to the fish and has it vomit Jonah onto dry land. While this is a miracle, does it mean more? What if God had just had the fish spit Jonah out in the middle of the sea? What would have become of Jonah? But God didn't just spare his life, He provided for this repentant sinner by placing him on dry ground, no matter how undeserving Jonah, or others who knew what he had done, felt that he was.
If you would like to read to read this story again it is found in Jonah 2.
Now we pick up in the next part of the story.
Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, "I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried and you heard my voice. For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. Then I said, 'I am driven away from your sight, yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.' The waters closed in over me to take my life, the deep surrounded me, weeds were wrapped about my head at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever, yet you brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you, what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!" Then the Lord spoke to the fish and it vomited Jonah out onto dry land.
Did you notice when Jonah prayed? He didn't pray to God until he had been in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. Jonah didn't call out to God until after he was in trouble. Is that when most of us pray today, when a loved is sick, during a death, or some other tragedy? Do we only pray to our Heavenly Father when we're in the belly of the fish? Aren't we instructed to pray at all times. I loved what I saw on a church sign around town recently that read, "If you only pray when you're in trouble...you're in trouble."
In the first part of Jonah's prayer, he acknowledges that God answers him. Even in the midst of a sinful mistake, punishment from the Lord, and dire circumstances, Jonah acknowledges that the Lord answers his prayer. Picture how upset God is with Jonah right now, Jonah wouldn't obey, nearly took down other people during his disobedience, and then it took him three days inside a fish before he prayed to God. Yet God still answered his prayer. And he still answers our prayers today, whether it's praising him for all the good things in our life, complaining about the things we think are bad in our life, or asking him about things we don't understand. I'm thankful that the Lord still listens to prayers of sinners.
Look at some of the things Jonah says next: "I am driven away from your sight," "the waters closed in over me," "the deep surrounded me," the bars of the land were closing on him, and his life was fading away. Jonah finally begins to recognize the fact that his sin has brought judgment upon him. We see him waking up to the fact that he cannot go on in disobedience to God. Are there any signs in your life right now that make you ask yourself if you're doing everything God is asking you to do?
And then notice what Jonah does next. He lifts up his voice with thanksgiving, and says he will sacrifice and honor his vows to the Lord. Does that sound familiar? Isn't that the same thing the lost mariners did in the first part of the story when they began to fear the Lord? Sometimes if we've let our relationship with God become weaker and distanced ourselves from him, to get that true repentance we have to get back to the basics in order to revive that relationship.
Then as this section of the story concludes, we see the continuing power and control over nature and animals by our Heavenly Father as He speaks to the fish and has it vomit Jonah onto dry land. While this is a miracle, does it mean more? What if God had just had the fish spit Jonah out in the middle of the sea? What would have become of Jonah? But God didn't just spare his life, He provided for this repentant sinner by placing him on dry ground, no matter how undeserving Jonah, or others who knew what he had done, felt that he was.
If you would like to read to read this story again it is found in Jonah 2.
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