This is part 2 of the Jonah tale! If you haven't read the first devotional on Jonah, check it out here!
Throughout our lives we are offered so many opportunities, however we aren't perfect and sometimes mess up or choose paths that might seem better and easier than what God has given us. Sometimes we are doing all wonderful things and then something crazy, like a hurricane, happens and causes our faith to be shaken a bit. Have no fear, you aren't alone if this is you, but that's why we read this and help each other! Let's check out chapter 2 of Jonah.
"Jonah’s Prayer
12:1 Verses 2:1-10 are numbered 2:2-11 in Hebrew text.Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish. 2He said,
“I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble,
and he answered me.
I called to you from the land of the dead,
and Lord, you heard me!
3You threw me into the ocean depths,
and I sank down to the heart of the sea.
The mighty waters engulfed me;
I was buried beneath your wild and stormy waves.
4Then I said, ‘O Lord, you have driven me from your presence.
Yet I will look once more toward your holy Temple.’
5“I sank beneath the waves,
and the waters closed over me.
Seaweed wrapped itself around my head.
6I sank down to the very roots of the mountains.
I was imprisoned in the earth,
whose gates lock shut forever.
But you, O Lord my God,
snatched me from the jaws of death!
7As my life was slipping away,
I remembered the Lord.
And my earnest prayer went out to you
in your holy Temple.
8Those who worship false gods
turn their backs on all God’s mercies.
9But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise,
and I will fulfill all my vows.
For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.”
10Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach."
So Chapter 2 is Jonah's prayer (obviously) from inside the fish. There are so many deep things to point out in this prayer, but one of this biggest things is that he acknowledges what just happened, and God's grace for "[snatching him] from the jaws of death." God did not kill Jonah, he is just allowing him to repent, pray, and remember Him. After Jonah's heart was full of obedience and repentance, God ordered the fish to give Jonah back to the land. Remember when you were a kid, and you didn't play nice with other kids, so you had to sit in time out until you fully apologized and changed your ways of playing? Meet Jonah. Meet yourself at any age. God says, "wait, you aren't listening to me. I need you to listen. I need you to know that what I've given you is not to hurt you, but for you to understand that you need to have faith in me because I will fulfill all of my promises and grant you blessings upon blessings if you listen, if you obey, if you love, and if you let me lead." God is in control of us, and of all of creation. Why do we get scared when that King gives us a new path, or tells us to not be scared when things change? We aren't perfect, and He knows that. That's why he didn't give up on Jonah. He doesn't give up on you.
I'm so thankful to read this and remember this always. I pray for the people affected by the hurricane, and I pray for all of us who have been thrown such curveballs-that we may trust God. Please stay tuned for the next chapter of Jonah, and please subscribe and check out what World in Motion is beginning in the world. If you need some nice Christian apparel, check out my Shopping page for Elevated Faith and use the link given! Have a blessed day. :)