Hi sweet friend! I am so glad you are here with me today!
I have been thinking about Jonah and want to visit his prayer today. Jonah has tried to run away from God’s call and finds himself deep in the belly of death. Jonah cries out in prayer and God heard and answered him. Through Jonah’s prayer, we are given an example and can see that God will hear and answer us when we cry out to God in our dark times.
In my previous post I shared lessons we can learn from Jonah. To read that post click here!
Jonah Is on The Run
Jonah has run away from God. He is on a boat heading in the opposite direction God told him to go. While Jonah is in the belly of the boat, sound asleep, a strong storm comes up.
The experienced sailors are terrified and so call out to their gods. Then they cast lots to see who was to blame for the storm. Jonah confesses he is running away from his God and is being punished.
However, Jonah is still not ready to submit to God’s call and tells the sailors to throw him overboard. The storm gets more intense, and the only solution is to throw Jonah into the sea.
The storm calms now for the sailors, but for Jonah, not so much! God appoints a great fish (not necessarily a whale) to swallow Jonah, where he has a three-day and three-night stay!
Jonah Cries Out in Prayer
Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish:
I called to the LORD in my distress,
and He answered me.
I cried out for help from deep inside Sheol;
you heard my voice.
You threw me into the depths,
into the heart of the seas,
and the current overcame me.
All your breakers and your billows swept over me.
But I said, ” I have been banished
from your sight,
yet I will look once more
toward your holy temple.
The water engulfed me up to the neck;
the watery depths overcame me;
seaweed was wrapped around my head.
I sank to the foundations of the mountains,
the earth’s gates shut behind me forever!
Then you raised my life from the Pit,
LORD my God!
As my life was fading away,
I remembered the LORD,
and my prayer came to you,
to your holy temple.
Those who cherish worthless idols
abandon their faithful love,
but as for me, I will sacrifice to you
with a voice of thanksgiving.
I will fulfill what I have vowed.
Salvation belongs to the LORD.”
Then the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. Jonah 2:1-10
Heart Transformation
While Jonah is inside the fish, he begins a heart makeover. He still has a long way to go, especially after God gives him a second chance and he delivers the message. But right now, his heart is changing, and he cries out to God.
He has been running away but now has been saved from certain death by God’s great mercy. Finally, he prays! And this prayer is full of thankfulness and remembrance.
Jonah is giving thanks to God for saving him from the ocean by way of the fish. Then, he remembers that God heard his cry and answered him when he was at his lowest point.
At His Lowest Point
“Where can I go to escape your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
Psalm 139: 7-8
In Jonah’s prayer, he believed he was close to death, and he cried out. It was his rebellion and the actions he took that led him on this journey toward death. God could have left Jonah to die, either in the storm or in the belly of the fish, but God still heard and answered!
Poetry
Something cool I learned while my daughter and I studied Jonah. His prayer is written as poetry, very similar to the Psalms and poetry is full of figurative language and vivid imagery.
Chapter 2 is written in a chiastic structure. This means the thoughts in the first half of the prayer parallel in reverse order in the last half. Read through Chapter 2 again and watch for this structure! I’ll give you a cheat sheet!
A. God sends a great fish to swallow Jonah, and he prays. (1:17- 2:1)
B. Jonah cries out to God in distress from the depths of Sheol. (2:2)
C. Jonah goes deeper into the sea and is closer to dying. (2:3-4)
X. Jonah is as low as he can be. (2:5-6)
C. God brings Jonah up out of the Pit. (2-6)
B. Jonah calls to God in rejoicing from His temple. (2:7-9)
A. God commands the fish to vomit Jonah out. (2:10)
As we read this prayer, we can see the radical nature of God’s rescue of Jonah, which will completely reverse Jonah’s fate. Jonah’s life declines to the point where he almost dies; he is at his lowest point. Then, the prayer changes and mirrors the beginning as God rescues Jonah.
God Hears and Answers
I love Jonah’s prayer, attentionally we can learn from it! As soon as Jonah cries out to God, He hears, and He answers! Knowing this gives me peace and comfort, knowing when I’m at my lowest point, sometimes because I run from God as Jonah did, but at my lowest, darkest moment, God is ready for my cry for help, and He hears and answers!
We can never outrun, hide in a dark place, or escape God. If God can hear Jonah’s prayer from the belly of a fish deep in a dark, lonely ocean, then guess what, sweet friend? He hears your cry!
No matter what has happened or how you feel, you are never too far gone that God can’t/won’t save you. Even if your past keeps nagging you and bringing you down, remember, it’s the past. God has a plan and a calling for you to step into. Don’t be afraid to cry out to Him.
God Loves to Come to the Rescue
God loves to rescue! He rescued Jonah, and He longs to rescue us. God has always had a plan to save us! Through His compassion and love for us, He sent His only Son, Jesus, who took all of our sins upon Himself, then suffered and died on the Cross to rescue us.
It cost God the life of His Son to save us. Please accept that gift. Cry out to the Lord; I promise He will hear and answer!
Buy me a coffeeResorces
Jonah – Logos Sermons. https://sermons.faithlife.com/sermons/277067-jonah?sso=false
Psalm 139:7 Cross References. https://www.bibleapps.com/crossref/psalms/139-7.htm
Psalm 139:7 Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? https://biblehub.com/psalms/139-7.htm
Psalm 139:7 Cross References. https://www.bibleapps.com/crossref/psalms/139-7.htm
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