Stuck in the belly of a giant fish cannot be a very nice predicament. Imagine the smells, the lack of movement, the claustrophobia, and the sheer fright of being there. Imagining that nearly made me sick. I do not know when Jonah started praying. Verses 1-6 seem to point out that his cry for help began as soon as he hit those turbulent waters. This is an amazing prayer.
Jonah begins by thanking God for listening to him. In his distress, he called out to God and as he felt life ending, he turned wholeheartedly to God. God listened to his cry. A lot of people need to hear this. God listens to us always; He just wants to know how serious we are for Him to hear.
I have heard numerous people offer up what I call placebo prayers – the “just in case He is listening” prayer. They pray only out of convenience in hopes that God will make an effort on their part. The difference between Jonah’s prayer and these people is that Jonah really did know God. He was actively running from God. He was willingly disobeying God, but he knew God was real and God was listening. Placebo prayers are given without knowing a real God who really loves people. Placebo prayers never penetrate our deepest thoughts or the depths of our soul. Jonah was praying from his heart to the God who knew him and was listening.
Now Jonah was “buried” in the sea in his fishy grave. He calls out to God from the depths of this grave. God makes thankless efforts in our lives everyday. To pray to God without first understanding our circumstances and understanding His ability to assist us is selfish at best. Jonah more than understood where he stood with God due to disobedience.
Listen to Jonah’s words in verse 4:
I said, 'I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.' Jonah 2:4 (NIV)
Jonah knew his sin had turn God eyes away. God is holy and sin repels His holiness. But do you understand that when you turn your eyes away from something you are turning you ears toward it? Look straight ahead. Close your eyes and turn you head. God is awesome. He was waiting for Jonah to cry out for help! God had taken his sight away until Jonah once again returned his sight upon the holiness of God.
Veggietales shows Jonah with a floatation device ( I guess to make it seem less scary for the kids), but I can imagine Jonah sinking into the depths of the sea as he was entangled in the seaweed and looking at his earthly resting place below. As he struggled for life, he realized that he was doomed without God. Instantly God set a fish to swallow the hopeless. That may sound terrifying but how else does God get our attention when we need His arms around us? Because of God’s love He brought life to the pit of death.
When should we pray to God? According to Paul, always. Jonah, who had been indifferent throughout his running, saw his life “ebbing away”, and he remembered God. Many people in Jonah’s situation probably would have spent too much time trying to rescue their selves. Jonah reached out to the only lifeline he had – God. Jonah knew of only one hope and his prayer rose to God. God, in turn, rescues Jonah.
Waiting to the last minute is not a good idea for lifting up a prayer, but it also reminds us that God has His ear turned to us even in those last minutes of life. God will rescue us in whatever manner he deems necessary – even if it means allowing us to die so we can be in His eternal presence. For Jonah, God sent a giant fish. For you, God has other answers.
The best part of this prayer is seen in the last three verses. Jonah recognizes that clinging to false hope such as false idols (or believing we can make our own way into eternity) was a forfeiture of God’s grace. In fact let me quote this beautiful verse:
Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. Jonah 2:8 (NIV)
Finally (and maybe a little reluctantly), Jonah sees others through the eyes of God. Grace can be available to others, not just to Jonah’s people. The people of Nineveh deserved this grace just as much as Jonah who received God’s grace in the life giving belly of a giant fish. Salvation only comes from the Lord, and we do not have to right to dictate who can receive it or how they should receive it. We must make every effort to share this grace and every effort to proclaim this salvation.
I have been working with a statewide campaign for the past couple of months (that’s why my posts to the blog have been so infrequent). The argument boiled down to who was more conservative and who could deny homosexuals and prevent abortions the best. All the while I am trying to ask a simple question – how would Jesus approach these subjects? How would Jesus try to reach out to find common ground with homosexuals so He could show His love to them and share how they too can find eternal life? How would Jesus reach out to those who think that abortion is their only answer and share His passion for their unborn and yet not ignore their pain?
Jonah vowed to listen to God’s commands and obey because he saw how God saw all people – people who could have grace. When Jonah came to this realization, the fish spit Jonah up on dry ground.
- Have you had a spit up on dry ground experience like Jonah? By this I am asking, have you had a moment when God had to open your eyes to the way He sees things?
- What do you think about the thought that others should share in God’s grace also?
- Have you ever had to return your spiritual sight back to God?
- How does knowing that when God turns His eyes away from you He is turning His ear to you affect you?
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