From the bottom of the sea to dry land
Jonah 2:1-3 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly. 2 And he said: “I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, And He answered me. “Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, And You heard my voice. 3 For You cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the floods surrounded me; All Your billows and Your waves passed over me.
They did it; the sailors on the boat which Jonah was on threw him into the sea to escape the wrath of God upon them as a result of Jonah’s disobedience to God. They pled for God’s mercy on the sacrifice they were performing; Jonah knew he was about to die. God prepared the fish that swallowed him whole, and in Jonah’s mind it was likely the end. Jonah describes seemingly being taken to the bottom of the sea, to the “roots of the mountains” (ESV); to the gates of the dead found there. His near death experience led him to plea to God; to turn his face towards the temple and pray. At some point in this incredible journey he came to realize the great fish was there to save him. He repented of his sin and disobedience and the great fish vomited him onto dry land.
The only place to look when you are at your seemingly bottom is up. You can either concentrate on looking down into the pit of pity, or you can look up to the One who can deliver you from there. 6 I went down to the moorings of the mountains; The earth with its bars closed behind me forever; Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord, my God. Jonah had done nothing but run from God, nothing but disobey God, nothing to deserve God’s mercy. Jonah is another example of salvation by grace alone. Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. God is letting you face these seemingly insurmountable trials to draw you to Him; it is in him that you find what you have been looking for all along: Eternal hope and the security of it. Once you possess it, the rest will seem trivial.
I am at a seemingly financial death, a place where the only place I can look is up. I believe Satan wants me to cry out in anger at my God for the loss of imaginary financial security. I believe God is allowing me to go there to grow in my faith and rest on his provision for me. I do not know what tomorrow may bring, but I know what God is calling me to do in a large step of faith. It is when you are at these places in your life that you are closer to God than ever. It is at the places in life that you say “Yes God, I will.” Jonah let go of his prejudices towards Nineveh, and obeyed God in the very hard command to go and preach repentance. As a result an entire evil nation repented and was eternally saved. What is your reluctance holding back?
oneminuteministry 