Jonah 2:7-10 says...
Today's verses are Jonah 2:7-10 which reads,
7 - "While I was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to You, into Your holy temple.
8 - Those who regard vain idols forsake their faithfulness,
9 - but I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the Lord."
10 - Then the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land.
The simple account here is that God gave Jonah something to do (go to Ninevah and speak for Him) and Jonah disobeyed and went in the opposite direction. God did not give up on His plan and caused Jonah to go through a series of events to reconsider (storm at sea, being thrown overboard, swallowed by a great fish). Jonah comes to his senses and prays this prayer and is expelled from the great fish and starts going in the direction that God first directed him to do (preaching "yet 40 days and Ninevah will be overthrown").
Have you ever not done what God asked you to do? I think it would be safe to say "yes" to that question. Has God put things and events in your path that has brought you back to that decision to reconsider your response? You may not have been swallowed by a "great fish" but that song brought it up; that pastor talked about it on Sunday; that friend made mention of it in so many words; and you woke up in the middle of the night and it was the first thing on your mind. You are in the belly of God's "great fish" prepared for you to show His grace to you and the opportunity to still complete the task.
Some of us just stay there for awhile. Jonah decides to call out to the Lord. He first remembers Him and then prays to Him. He realizes that God is so different than all those other "vain idols" and then gives a prayer of thanksgiving that God saves and is his salvation.
I am amazed at how this mirrors the story of the prodigal son given by Jesus. The younger son decides to his own way against the instruction of his father. The son has the initial joy that he has escaped the need of his father's ways but then experienced his own "belly of the great fish" experience as he has nothing and is feeding the pigs. He thinks back to his father and what his father could provide and works up a "prayer" to say to the father on his return. He came to his senses to change directions and go back home to the father. Just as Jonah was vomited up on dry land, the younger son experienced the love of his father again that came running to him.
We need to remind ourselves that if we are running from God and decide to turn to Him (in which He is orchestrating all those events to get you to do so) that He has not changed but we have and for the better. We need to remind ourselves that what we think God will do to us is being painted by Satan as something that is not true.
Remember the Lord. Pray to the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord. Stand upon His salvation. Wipe off the mess you got yourself into start heading toward "your" Ninevah.
Pastor Adam
7 - "While I was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to You, into Your holy temple.
8 - Those who regard vain idols forsake their faithfulness,
9 - but I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the Lord."
10 - Then the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land.
The simple account here is that God gave Jonah something to do (go to Ninevah and speak for Him) and Jonah disobeyed and went in the opposite direction. God did not give up on His plan and caused Jonah to go through a series of events to reconsider (storm at sea, being thrown overboard, swallowed by a great fish). Jonah comes to his senses and prays this prayer and is expelled from the great fish and starts going in the direction that God first directed him to do (preaching "yet 40 days and Ninevah will be overthrown").
Have you ever not done what God asked you to do? I think it would be safe to say "yes" to that question. Has God put things and events in your path that has brought you back to that decision to reconsider your response? You may not have been swallowed by a "great fish" but that song brought it up; that pastor talked about it on Sunday; that friend made mention of it in so many words; and you woke up in the middle of the night and it was the first thing on your mind. You are in the belly of God's "great fish" prepared for you to show His grace to you and the opportunity to still complete the task.
Some of us just stay there for awhile. Jonah decides to call out to the Lord. He first remembers Him and then prays to Him. He realizes that God is so different than all those other "vain idols" and then gives a prayer of thanksgiving that God saves and is his salvation.
I am amazed at how this mirrors the story of the prodigal son given by Jesus. The younger son decides to his own way against the instruction of his father. The son has the initial joy that he has escaped the need of his father's ways but then experienced his own "belly of the great fish" experience as he has nothing and is feeding the pigs. He thinks back to his father and what his father could provide and works up a "prayer" to say to the father on his return. He came to his senses to change directions and go back home to the father. Just as Jonah was vomited up on dry land, the younger son experienced the love of his father again that came running to him.
We need to remind ourselves that if we are running from God and decide to turn to Him (in which He is orchestrating all those events to get you to do so) that He has not changed but we have and for the better. We need to remind ourselves that what we think God will do to us is being painted by Satan as something that is not true.
Remember the Lord. Pray to the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord. Stand upon His salvation. Wipe off the mess you got yourself into start heading toward "your" Ninevah.
Pastor Adam
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