(adapted from messages by Stuart Jones and Barry Cameron)
SERIES: “DISCOVER OBEDIENCE: Jonah – Not Just Another Big Fish Story”
TEXT: JONAH 1:17-2:10
TITLE: “JONAH PRAYS – GOD RESPONDS”
OPEN: A. Have you ever heard of a book entitled: The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook? It first
came out about ten years ago and there have been several adaptations and editions over the last
several years. Basically, the book outlines how to survive life’s worst-case scenarios. It tells you
how to get through the horrible situations that you might find yourself in.
It tells you what to do if you have to deliver a baby out of the back seat of a car, how to wrestle
free from an alligator, how to escape from quick sand, how to survive a shark attack, and how to
escape from a mountain lion.
This book gives you two simple steps to escape from a mountain lion. Step one is this: “Do not
run.” That’s what the book says! Now, if for some miracle you complete step one, step two is
tougher. It says this: “Try to make yourself appear bigger than you really are.” It says if you have
a coat, open the coat. If you have a shirt, open your shirt. If you have a child next to you, pick up
the child. Do everything you can to appear bigger than you are.
Most of the explanations are just that simple. This book is only 150 pages long and that’s all
you need to tell you how to survive about 40 of life’s worst-case scenarios. Just one page is
needed to tell you what to do if you jump out of a plane and your parachute doesn’t open, or if
something happens to the pilot and you have to land the plane.
Forgive me for being a bit cynical, but this book seems a little too simple. The explanations are
too easy.
1. One thing I find that this book doesn’t say anything about is how to get out of the belly of a big
fish
2. Yet, that’s exactly where Jonah finds himself in our scripture passage today.
B. Jonah’s been running from God
1. Last week, we heard God’s charge to Jonah
--Jonah 1:
2. Jonah took off in the complete opposite direction
3. Jonah boarded a ship at Joppa to head to Tarshish
a. God sends a fierce storm that frightens the experienced sailors on the ship
b. They discover that Jonah is at fault
c. When they ask him what they should do, Jonah says, “Throw me overboard.”
d. The sailors first try to row for shore but discover quickly that it won’t work
e. Finally pitch Jonah overboard
C. We’re so much like Jonah
--Jonah refused to do what God asked him to do and we say to God:
1. “I have another plan.”
2. “I’ve got something else going on.”
3. “I don’t have room in my schedule.”
4. “Not now, Lord.”
-- You can’t call him, “Lord,” and then say, “Not now.”
5. Eugene Peterson, Under The Unpredictable Plant: “There are a thousand ways of being
religious without submittingChrist’s lordship, and people are practised in most of them.”
D. Jonah 1:17-2:10 – “But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the
fish three days and three nights. From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. He said:
‘In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called
for help, and you listened to my cry. You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas,
and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me.’ I said, ‘I have been
banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple. The engulfing waters
threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. To the roots of the
mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you brought my life up from
the pit, O LORD my God. When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my
prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that
could be theirs. But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will
make good. Salvation comes from the LORD.’ And the LORD commanded the fish, and it
vomited Jonah onto dry land.”
E. Just remember: If you’re running from the Lord, you’re in for a whale of a mess
1. We don’t like to confess the mess, do we?
2. We probably look fine on the outside, but the turmoil going on in our insides is monstrous
--We’re too proud, sometimes, to ask for help
a. Pride says, “Don’t rescue me.”
b. We see rescue as a last resort in our life
c. We have to try out every resource, every option we have in our control, in our own power
before we’d ever want to be rescued.
3. That’s how we act toward God, too
--We can be exhausted, we can be drowning, we struggling to find air still reluctant to ask God
for help
a. Life can be spinning out of control, yet we refuse to ask God for help
b. The truth is, that before God can do the incredible in your life, He has to perform an incredible
rescue in your life.
C. Jonah was given some time in the belly of the fish to think things over
1. Let’s see what lessons he learned
2. Let’s see what we need to do to find God’s deliverance in our own sticky situations
I. The first lesson: ADMISSION
A. The first thing that you have to do is to admit that you are sinking
1. In the middle of the storm, Jonah decided to give up on life
--Just throw me overboard!
2. Jonah 2:5-6 – “The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped
around my head. To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever.
But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God.”
3. Giving up on life was an easy task for Jonah
--It doesn’t take a lot of courage or knowledge to give up
4. But, somewhere between the ship and the bottom of the ocean, Jonah changed his mind
B. The problem was that he was so good at sinking that he was unable to do anything about a change of
direction
--He realized that his life was out of control
1. We hate admitting that, don’t we?
2. We can be choking on seawater; we could not feel our arms; because we’ve been treading water for so
long; we could be going down for the third time and still believe that we’re in control.
3. We have to realize that we can’t be in control
--ultimately we’re powerless
a. We can utilize all kinds of technology and trinkets and toys to stay on top of things but we still can’t
control it all
b. We don’t like to say it, hear it, or admit it
C. Have you ever heard the expression, “It’s time to face the music”? I’ve read several explanations
concerning where this phrase came from. Here’s one of them:
Many years ago, a man wanted to play in the Royal Orchestra, but he couldn’t play a note on any kind
of instrument. Since he was a person of great wealth and influence, he went to the conductor and insisted
that he be allowed to perform with the Royal Orchestra – especially since they performed only for the
king.
The conductor was intimidated by this wealthy and somewhat powerful man so he agreed to let him sit
in the second row of the orchestra. Although, he couldn’t read music or play a note, he was given a flute.
Whenever the conductor would raise his baton, the man would raise the instrument, pucker his lips, and
move his fingers. He went through all the motions of playing but he never made a sound. The deception
went on for years.
Then one day, it happened. The old conductor stepped down and a new conductor was appointed to
lead the Royal Orchestra. Since he was not from that kingdom and didn’t know the players, he told the
orchestra members that he would personally audition each one of them to see how well they could play.
He would only countenance the best players available. If they were not able to meet his standards, they
would be dismissed from the orchestra.
One by one, the players performed in front of the conductor. The phony musician was panicked with
worry. When it came to his turn, he pretended to be sick. After several days, the conductor summoned
the royal physician and the doctor declared that the man was in perfect health. The conductor insisted that
the man prove his skill right then and there.
Ashamedly, the man had to confess that he was a fake. That was the day he had to “face the music.”
D. It’s time to face the music. We’ve been pretending that things are wonderful but we’re in trouble
--Some of us are better at treading water than others but eventually we all sink like a rock
1. The sad thing is, there is a bunch of us out in the middle of the ocean hanging on to things we think that
give us control – swirling in dangerous waters – but at some point we have to admit – we’re sinking.
2. What do you do when you finally admit you’re sinking?
II. The second lesson: RECOGNITION
A. There has to be a recognition that God is still working all around you
1. Jonah was able to recognize and see that God was at work
2. Did you ever take time to do that?
--To just look and see where God is working in your life? He’s working through:
a. relationships
b. events
c. circumstances
d. even crises
3. What’s He doing in all those things?
--trying to draw us back to Him
B. Jonah acknowledges that everything happening is coming from the hand of God
1. The storm, the sailors, the fish
2. Jonah 2:3 – “You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled
about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me.”
3. Ever seen the movie Jaws?
a. Some people can’t get near the ocean and not hear that music
b. Barry Cameron says, “Jonah could have written a best-seller: Jaws: The Inside Story”
C. Jonah didn’t like what God wanted him to do
--He decided that his will for his own life was better than God’s will for his life
1. God reaches out to Jonah – to pull him back into the mission that God wanted to accomplish
2. When Jonah thought he was in control, God was in control
--When Jonah’s life was spinning out of control, God was still in control
3. The hand of God is not bound by limits or boundaries
--The sin that Jonah thought was unforgivable, God was able to forgive
4. No matter now great the mountain of sin in your life, God is greater than your sin
--He still has the power to rescue you from your sin
D. When NASA launches satellites, they watch them very carefully. If they get a degree or two off from
their flight plan, they can get so far off course, they can be lost forever.
--If a quick course correction isn’t made, they lose the millions of dollars invested in that equipment.
1. Why is it that sometimes we have to be pushed right to the very edge of losing absolutely
everything before we finally wake up to realize how off-track we’ve wandered?
a. Perhaps our health is allowed to collapse.
b. Perhaps we lose our job.
c. Perhaps our marriage experiences turmoil.
d. Perhaps finances slip into crisis mode.
e. They become conditions of life that God can use to shape our lives into more obedient, more
responsive and attentive lives of service to Him.
2. Hear me correctly: I’m not saying that every time someone experiences this sort of thing, that it
comes as a judgment from God.
a. Absolutely not.
b. But I am saying that such events can have an amazing way of sharpening the spiritual focus and
clarity in a person’s life.
3. It is in the tight spaces
a. where we having nothing else to distract us
b. where temptation is exposed for the fraud that it is
c. where our finitude and frailty are revealed
d. that we find God’s call renewed; His voice clarified
III. The third lesson: SUBMISSION
A. You have to submit to God’s will
1. God wants to rescue you but you have to want to be rescued
2. Lifeguards are trained to rescue people. The hardest lesson lifeguards have to learn is that they
can’t rescue someone who isn’t ready to be rescued.
Somebody might be going down and you might have the desire to rescue them, but when you
reach them, the greatest obstacle to their life and safety is their desire to help save themselves. A
drowning victim start to help or start to lead the rescuer in the rescue attempt. Lifeguards are taught
when that happens, just back away. Let them thrash and splash around. Let them fight. Let them
grow tired. Then when the fight is all gone, you can rescue them. You cannot rescue them until
they’re ready to surrender to the rescuer.
3. You have to surrender control to the rescuer.
--That’s what Jonah did in Jonah 2:9 – “But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD.”
4. Submission is a word that’s gotten a bad reputation.
a. Submission is not slavery or weakness
b. When we submit to God, it’s allowing God to use us as He intended to use us
5. God created you. He designed you. He made you specifically and individually
a. When God is going to something incredible in your life, He is lining you up for something He
designed you for
b. God created you and designed your personality, your talents, and your experiences so that you
would be ready to do what He asks you to do
B. When you submit to God, you get a new boss
--You’re no longer guessing or stumbling through life. You’re being guided as you were designed by
Him.
1. Moses was a good shepherd but when he submitted to the will of God, he was a great leader
2. Paul was a good tentmaker but when he submitted to the will of God, that he was a great preacher
3. Lydia good businesswoman but when she submitted to the will of God she found out that she was a
great church planter
4. Joseph was a great carpenter but when he submitted to the will of God he found out that he was a
great father
C. God has a call on every one of our lives
1. Your call and my call are different
2. But God’s call is effective and powerful for every project and task
3. Whatever that call is, you have to submit to it.
--you have to choose to submit to it
CLOSE: A. Best selling author Max Lucado writes: “Look at Jonah in the fish belly—surrounded by gastric
juices and sucked-in seaweed. For three days God has left him there. For three days Jonah has
pondered his choices. And for three days he has come to the same conclusion: He ain’t got one.
From where he sits (or floats) there are two exits—and neither are very appealing. But then
again, neither is Jonah. He blew it as a preacher. He was a flop as a fugitive. At best he’s a
coward, at worst a traitor. And what he’s lacked all along he now has in abundance—guts. So
Jonah does the only thing he can do: He prays. He says nothing about how good he is— but a lot
about how good God is. He doesn’t even ask for help, but help is what he gets. Before he can
say amen, the belly convulses, the fish belches, and Jonah lands face first on the beach.”
B. Here are some important applications to our lessons:
1. Anything that brings me to my knees isn’t all bad
--Sometimes, God has to hurt us deeply to use us effectively
2. It’s really the calamities and crises in our lives where we learn the deepest lessons
--While Jonah was in the depths of the sea, God was working in the depths of his heart
3. It’s better to call on God in crisis than not to call on him at all
--But we shouldn’t wait until a calamity arises to start praying
a. Notice how Jonah prays
--he prays from the Psalms
b. Psalms quoted: Ps. 18, Ps. 31, Ps. 42
e. I will guarantee one thing: If you’ll get into the Word of God, the Word of God will get
into you.
4. It’s not as much fun to get away from God as you think it is.
a. And it’s definitely not as much fun to get away from God as the world says it is.
b. Ps. 16:11 – “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your
presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
5. When you remember God, you’ll find out that He never forgot you.
--Jonah said from his experience: “I remembered you, Lord…”
a. Jonah remembered God’s goodness
1). Jonah 2:7 – “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer
rose to you, to your holy temple…”
2). The temple was the symbol of God’s presence and provision for His people
b. Jonah remembered God’s grace
--Jonah 2:8 – “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.”
c. Jonah remembered God’s glory
1). Jonah 2:9 – “But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have
vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD.”
2). Eccl. 5:4 – “When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no
pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.”
6. In that last statement, Jonah echoes the words and actions of the sailors in Jonah Chapt. 1
--That should remind us that whether you’re a saint or a sinner, we all come to God in the same
way
7. “Salvation comes from the LORD”
-- Salvation is not your work for God. It’s God’s work for you
C. What an ending to Chapt. Two
1. Jonah realizes what he’s done and in his deepest and darkest hour, he cries out to God
2. God hears him and then God made the fish to spit Jonah out to start again
D. If you have not heard anything else today. please here this: We serve a God of second chances.
1. Better yet, we serve a God of multiple chances.
2. You see I don’t think many of us in this room doubt that God gives people second chances.
a. We understand that.
b. What we can’t see is why He gives us more chances after that.
3. Why does God continue to accept as back after we continually turn our back on Him?
a. It’s because He loves us so much.
--He has so much invested in us.
b. He sent His Son to pay a huge price for us and He does not give up on us.
E. We’re all runners.
1. But God doesn’t give up on us.
--He is stubborn that way.
2. Rom. 5:8 – “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.”
--In other words while were still running and even while we were still in the belly of the whale
God sent Jesus to die for us; to bring us back.
3. Maybe you’re here this morning and you have been running.
--Maybe you have been running for as long as you can remember.
a. God wants you to understand you don’t have to run anymore.
b. He took the punishment of your running and He will wipe you slate clean.
--Accept Him as Lord and Savior today.
4. Maybe you have accepted Him but you started running again.
--It’s time to slow down and understand He is ready to make you new again.
