Moments with God; Prayer

Scripture

Jonah 1:17–2:10 KJV 1900

Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly, And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; Out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; And the floods compassed me about: All thy billows and thy waves passed over me. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; Yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: The depth closed me round about, The weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; The earth with her bars was about me for ever: Yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God. When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: And my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord. And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

You’re driving down the highway when a front tire blows out just as you are rounding into a curve. At that precise moment, you hit black ice, losing control of your vehicle. Barreling toward you, you see a semi moving at high speed that has drifted into your lane. There is little time to think, but you do offer one of the most effective prayers ever presented. You cry out, “Help!” How effective is that! You’re still here.

Each follower of the Christ has received a divine charge to serve His cause. Because He is Master, He has the right to expect our obedience. Certainly, because we are Christians, we have received the Great Commission to carry the message of life to all people throughout the entire world. However, I would argue that at one time or another, the Spirit of God has spoken to each of us, directing us to fulfil some specific responsibility. Perhaps it was to tell some unlovable individual of God’s love, and we failed to speak as we knew we should. Perhaps it was to comfort some individual whom we felt undeserving of mercy. Time passed, and the opportunity to comfort passed with the passage of days. Perhaps it was to stand firm against some particular evil, and we were silent, though we knew we should speak up. I believe that each of us can recall a time when the Spirit of God commanded us to act and we resisted Him. What is worse, there will be other times in the future when God speaks, and we will fail to obey.

The story of a fish swallowing a man sounds like a whopper of a fish story.

The basic issue with the critics is the fact that they do not believe in the supernatural. Within this short book of Jonah, there are four miracles recorded, the storm, the calming of the storm, the fish, and the growth of the plant.

There are many different views about the book. Is it a history, an allegory, a parable, or fiction? Was Jonah a real person? Did he really spend three days in a whale’s stomach? Did he preach in Nineveh, and was God’s judgment really averted?

For me, the issue is simple. Not only is it recorded in the Old Testament, but Jesus Himself validates the account in Matthew 12:39-41.

I believe that the book of Jonah is reliable history.

Jonah is different from the other Old Testament prophets because it is not full of prophecies by the prophet; it is instead about the life of the prophet.

Jonah’s message was a simple one; “In forty-days Nineveh will be destroyed.”

Most of the other O.T. prophets prophesied to Israel and Judah, Jonah’s task was to go to Nineveh and prophesy to them.

GOD TALKS TO JONAH — “The word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me’” [JONAH 1:1, 2]. There may be a “Jonah” listening to this message. I know that your name isn’t necessarily “Jonah,” but you know that the Lord God has called you to some great task. Yet, your flesh recoils at the thought that you must fill that position to which God is calling. Though I may speak the words that you will hear in the message of this hour, it is well-nigh impossible to allow them to control our lives. Nevertheless, I am compelled to remind each one, “The Living God does not call you to any task greater than His power to equip you for that task.”

We have come to the most familiar portion of the book of Jonah. Most people, even with limited exposure to the Bible, have heard the story of Jonah and the whale. While I will admit that was a miraculous event, it is not the focus of the book. We must keep in mind that the sovereignty of God in drawing people unto Himself is the theme of Jonah.

This theme is clearly seen in the miracle of Jonah being swallowed by the great fish. God had called Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach a message of repentance. Rather than being obedient to God’s call, Jonah decided to flee from the presence of the Lord. He thought he would be able to escape God’s presence, and thus be freed from any obligation to the Ninevites. God, in His sovereignty, had called Jonah to go to Nineveh; and He fully intended for that to happen. This is affirmed by the action God took regarding Jonah’s disobedience. Jonah 1:17 – Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. The fish was prepared by God to swallow Jonah and keep him for three days and three nights. In this we see an Old Testament portrayal of Jesus’ time in the grave and His triumphant resurrection. We cannot miss God’s sovereignty in regard to Jonah and his call to Nineveh.

I. The Necessity for Prayer (1:17-2:1)

II. The Sincerity in Prayer (2-4)

III. The Reliability of Prayer (5-7)

IV. The Efficiency of Prayer (8-10)

Salvation is of the LORD. Jonah admitted a foundational truth – the LORD is the author of salvation. He had provided salvation for him, both spiritually and physically. Such a one as He was worthy of praise and commitment. It appears Jonah may have begun to realize that God also had a plan for Nineveh. Although it was hard for Jonah to fathom, the Lord shows mercy on those whom He chooses. That is not for man to deny or try to hinder.

What a treasure we find within the account of Jonah and the whale. Salvation is of the LORD. He graciously provided our salvation, and He continues to draw people unto Himself in order to save them. We are entrusted with the Gospel, commanded to proclaim its great truth while making disciples. We have the Good News this world desperately needs!

Closing

I fear that the Lord allows many to have the desire of their hearts; but once they get what they thought they wanted, they realize they didn’t want it after all. We will never have joy or peace in our lives walking contrary to God’s will. When trials come, we must seek the Lord and the strength and wisdom only He provides. It is never wise to walk away from the Lord and His will, especially during trials of life. We must do as Jonah and return unto the Lord, seeking His help and provision in our desperation. His ways are always just and righteous. He will always lead us in the right path. If your relationship with the Lord is suffering, He has not moved. Return to Him, and you will find the joy and guidance you need and desire.

Although we haven’t been swallowed by a great fish, I am sure we all can relate to Jonah. We have found ourselves in desperate situations because of disobedience and rebellion. If that is the case with you today, I would urge you to return unto the Lord. Being in the belly of the whale is not enjoyable, but for some it is necessary. You can avoid that through submissive obedience.

And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. Again, we see the sovereign hand of God at work in Jonah’s life. He prepared the great fish to swallow Jonah, and He spoke to it to vomit him out on dry land. Some may miss it, but I see matchless grace at work in Jonah’s life. God could have spared him, but forced him to swim to shore. He had a plan for Jonah and took great care of him, even when it appeared hopeless.

We do not live by chance, and our lives are not dictated by circumstance. We are kept by the sovereign hand of God. We are secure within His mighty grip. He will provide for us according to His divine will. There is no need to fear as long as we are walking with the Lord!

This has been an encouraging passage. While it deals with a most difficult situation, we discover that God is always in control. We have nothing to fear; we are kept by His grace. We must ensure that we walk according to His plan for our lives. Unrepentant disobedience will result in chastening. If you are apart from the Lord and His will, repent and return unto Him. If you are yet unsaved, respond to His offer of grace through faith and repentance of sin.