Are you in the "belly of a whale?

In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry." (Jonah 2:2)

Jonah is an interesting character. I taught in our kids Sunday School class a couple of weeks ago on Jonah and told them he was one of my favorite Bible characters. For this week, I want to take a look at him and ask the question, "What caused him to turn and repent?"

Chapter 2 opens with Jonah rescued, from drowning, but still in a desperate situation. From the time God gave this assignment, to this point, Jonah left one very important thing out of his life, prayer. He did not pray when God told him to go to Nineveh, he did not pray before getting on the ship to Tarshish, he did not pray during the storm, and he did not pray before being cast into the ocean. He was so busy running and being scared, he forgot the most important comfort that God offers us. Jonah 2:1 says, "From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God." Finally, he stopped to pray, or rather God stopped him so he would have nothing to do but pray. Jonah, in the most desperate situation of his life, prayed.

Have you been there, constantly trying to do it all your way and nothing works out? Have you, at some point, "hit the wall" and been left with nowhere to turn and no way out? It is a horrible place to find yourself. I have known people that have been in those situations...I myself have had times where I have been in that situation. Jonah got out of the practice of praying and looking to God for guidance. He turned so far from the Lord and ran away so fast that now He has hit that wall. And to be honest, I bet all of us have done that from time to time.

The Wycliff Bible Commentary writes this about Jonah 2:2. "According to the Hebrew way of thinking, genuine hearing involved response. For man, hearing God involved obeying Him. For God, hearing man involved delivering him." Don’t you love that? If God hears you pray, He will deliver you, and if you pray, He will hear you. "And if we know that he hears us-whatever we ask-we know that we have what we ask of him." (1 John 5:15)

Jonah was delivered, ". . . But you brought my life up from the pit, O Lord my God." (Jonah 2:6), We all will have times that we need delivered too. But let’s learn from this situation. Don’t get out of the habit of praying. Stay in contact with the Lord through good and bad situations and maybe you can avoid those situations that feel like being in the "belly of a whale."

"But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord." (Jonah 2:9)