Prayer of Desperation
Pastor Chang
Jonah 1:17-2:10
17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
2 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying,
“I called out to the Lord, out of my distress,
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 flood surrounded me;
all your waves and your billows
passed over me.
4 Then I said, ‘I am driven away
from your sight;
yet I shall again look
upon your holy temple.’
5 The waters closed in over me to take my life;
the deep surrounded me;
weeds were wrapped about my head
6 at the roots of the mountains.
I went down to the land
whose bars closed upon me forever;
yet you brought up my life from the pit,
O Lord my God.
7 When my life was fainting away,
I remembered the Lord,
and my prayer came to you,
into your holy temple.
8 Those who pay regard to vain idols
forsake their hope of steadfast love.
9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving
will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay.
Salvation belongs to the Lord!”
10 And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.
Introduction
Even through Jonah’s disobedience, we see God working. God works through all things
This psalm (prayer) functions as eloquent testimony to that fact, the fact that Jonah was spared from death. It shows that God is a merciful God, a God of love who desires to forgive rather then punish.
God answers our call when we cry out to Him vv1:17-2:2
17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying, “I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.
Jonah describes his situation similar to being in the grave (Sheol), literally inside a grave, yet God heard him. A heart is changing, transformation is beginning.
No situation is too great for God to deliver us from vv3-7
For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. 4 Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’ 5 The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head 6 at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. 7 When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.
This all happened because of Jonah’s disobedience, his sin
1. God calls—he runs away
2. God brings a storm—he sleeps
3. When he realizes you can’t run away from God—he wants to die
Why—his hatred for Nineveh
God continues to show compassion to those He loves.
Salvation belongs to the Lord vv8-9
Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. 9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!”
Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love
Jeremiah 2:13
for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.
By saying this Jonah honors God and he honors God in three ways.
1. God’s work as Savior
2. God is the only One who is the Savior
3. It connotes that the Lord is in charge of salvation, i.e., that he declares whom he will save and how. Salvation is His area of authority. In it, He alone makes the decisions.
God is the Source and the Author of salvation.
Conclusion: verse 10, 10 And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.
Discussion Questions
Why does God send a big fish to swallow up Jonah?
What stands out to you about Jonah’s prayer?
Describe something we at times cherish more than we cherish God.