Jonah’s Prayer
“From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God, saying: “In my distress I called to the LORD and He answered me. From the belly of Sheol I called for help, and You heard my voice. For You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the current swirled about me; all Your breakers and waves swept over me. At this, I said, ‘I have been banished from Your sight; yet I will look once more toward Your holy temple.’
The waters engulfed me to take my life; the watery depths closed around me; the seaweed wrapped around my head. To the roots of the mountains I descended; the earth beneath me barred me in forever! But You raised my life from the pit, O LORD my God! As my life was fading away, I remembered the LORD. My prayer went up to You, to Your holy temple. Those who cling to worthless idols forsake His loving devotion. But I, with the voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to You. I will fulfill what I have vowed. Salvation is from the LORD!” And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.”
The name Jonah means “dove” and God has used doves as messengers ever since the time of Noah. There might be longer testimonies, but there are very few testimonies more riveting than Jonah’s. Refusing to obey God and go east to preach to the Assyrians in Nineveh, Jonah has boarded a ship bound for Tarshish, generally believed to be modern Spain. But God has disrupted this journey, sending a storm that threatens to destroy the ship and everyone on it. When the sailors cast lots to determine who might be responsible, Jonah’s name comes up. Jonah advises the sailors to throw him overboard, since he is the one refusing to follow God’s orders. Reluctantly, the sailors do so. This chapter tells us what happens next.
Jonah is about to die by drowning and he knows it; moreover, Jonah realizes that he deserves nothing else. Jonah is sinking with seaweed wrapping about his head. Any moment might be Jonah’s last, and then suddenly, God has a large fish swallow Jonah. Jonah survives three days and three nights in the stomach of this fish. Why the number three? It may have taken that long for Jonah to give up his rebellion and agree to obey God. At the same time, Jesus will later use the example of Jonah to indicate to his disciples how many days and nights he will occupy a tomb before rising from the dead.
“As my life was fading away, I remembered the LORD. My prayer went up to You, to Your holy temple. Those who cling to worthless idols forsake His loving devotion. But I, with the voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to You. I will fulfill what I have vowed. Salvation is from the LORD!” And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.” As Jonah is praying, God is causing the fish to move closer and closer to dry land. Once Jonah says, “I will fulfill what I have vowed. Salvation is from the Lord,” the fish spits Jonah out on dry land. Grateful to be free of that burden, the fish returns to the deep sea while Jonah starts walking towards Nineveh.
By this time, Jonah’s hair and skin might be bleached by the digestive juices in the fish’s stomach. Jonah may have sea weed stuck in weird places; in other words, Jonah doesn’t look like any prophet the Assyrians have ever seen before. Jonah’s weird appearance may also help save him from Assyrian torment.
APPLICATION: How much does God have to do before we will obey Him? In Jonah’s case, he nearly dies before he will go to Nineveh. We read Jonah’s story and think that surely we would do better. But how many times do we ignore God’s nudging? Perhaps we have an argument with a coworker or with a family member. We know we should resolve the problem immediately, but we want to stroke our hurt feelings for a little while. Before we realize it, minutes have turned to hours, hours to days, and days to weeks.
Several years ago, I had a disagreement with a close friend over something very petty. I fully intended to apologize; however, I got busy and distracted. Then my friend suddenly had a heart attack and died! The opportunity to make peace was lost forever, and I was left with bitter regrets.
Psalm 95:7-8 says, “Today, if you will hear His voice: “Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion..”Jonah hardened his heart against the Assyrians in Nineveh. We too can harden our hearts against those around us, even though those people may be suffering in ways we cannot imagine. As we consider the story of Jonah, let’s examine our own hearts. Are we ignoring God’s leading? How far will God have to go to get our attention? Hint: don’t head in the wrong direction! God can easily turn your travel plans upside down. Even if God does not send a big fish to swallow you, you might find yourself at the side of the road with car problems or sitting in an airport with all flights cancelled due to weather. It doesn’t pay to fight God!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to be obedient, even when we don’t feel like it. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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