Last week we left Jonah in the middle of the sea. The ship's crew tried all they knew to lighten the boat, to pray to their gods and finally drew straws to see who was the cause of the storm. When Jonah revealed his identity as a prophet of the One True God, the crew was very afraid. At his own request, they threw Jonah overboard, at which times the waves ceased. The crew recognized the power of God, offered sacrifices and made vows, or in other translations, committed their lives to serving God. If that was all there was to the story, the trade off might not have been so bad... one prophet of God on the run in trade for a whole ship's crew being saved... can you imagine the stories they had to tell?
BUT... That's not the end of the story...
Jonah 1:17
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
17 The Lord sent a big fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.
Yes, I have heard the comparisons of Jonah in the fish to Jesus in the grave, but that's not where we're going with this devotional. From the beginning of this story, God had a plan for Jonah. Jonah's best attempts to short circuit God's plan could not derail God's plan. They only delayed it.
Sooooo, Jonah is now in the gut of a big fish. Let's be honest... IF you were swallowed by a fish while sinking in the sea, would you honestly think there was going to be a way out? I mean, seriously... Jonah was in uncharted territory here. I'm not aware of recorded accounts of anyone before or after Jonah who was swallowed by a fish and lived to tell about it. Let's take a look at what was going through Jonah's mind...
Jonah 2:1-6
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
Jonah's Prayer
1 From inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the Lord his God:
2 When I was in trouble, Lord,
I prayed to you,
and you listened to me.
From deep in the world
of the dead,
I begged for your help,
and you answered my prayer.
3 You threw me down
to the bottom of the sea.
The water was churning
all around;
I was completely covered
by your mighty waves.
4 I thought I was swept away
from your sight,
never again to see
your holy temple.
5 I was almost drowned
by the swirling waters
that surrounded me.
Seaweed had wrapped
around my head.
6 I had sunk down below
the underwater mountains;
I knew that forever,
I would be a prisoner there.
Yeah... Jonah was in some deep weeds.. sea weeds that is. Sounds like he was remembering the "good ol' days". Days where he honored God with his choices. He longed to spend time again in the House of God. But for now, Jonah was submarining in the deep - smelling of seaweed and anchovies... Ahhh, what a life, right? Jonah was in a place where he had nothing more to lose. Life as he had known it was apparently over. He had all intentions of meeting his maker, right then, right there. In desparation, Jonah wanted to make it right with God. Even if he never took another breath above the water, he knew that he would answer for his decision to run from God. Jonah was in a place like this:
From deep in the world
of the dead,
I begged for your help, He went on in verse 6 to say:
6 I had sunk down below
the underwater mountains;
I knew that forever,
I would be a prisoner there. Oh, by the way... I left off the last part of verse 6. It goes something like this...
But, you, Lord God,
rescued me from that pit. As hard as Jonah tried to run from the plan God had for his life... As much as he planned to NOT do what God plainly instructed him to do... As deep of weeds as he had gotten himself into... When Jonah cried out to God from a sincere heart of repentance, God rescued him from that pit.
I doubt that you have ever found yourself in the belly of a big fish at the bottom of the sea, but chances are, we have all found ourselves in places where we thought there was no way out. If you haven't, count your blessings and hold fast to God. Those days may be just around the corner for some of us. Just like Jonah, God has something in mind for you...
The story is not over...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3_vdNTiVEE
