“Returning to God”
“Jonah’s Prayer”
Jonah 1:17-2:1-10
Jonah’s story is simple. Jonah, a child of God, ran from his Father. God pursued his child on the wings of a storm. The storm, of course, forced Jonah to reconsider the path he had chosen. This short book is his record of those difficult days. As he reflected back on those events he confessed that he felt abandoned by God: “I said, ‘I have been banished from Your sight.’” We have a tendency to think that during times of crisis God is distant or removed. Sometimes we even interpret His silence as indifference. Jonah reminds us that God’s presence enables us to endure the trials we face – even the ones we create by our own disobedience.
Leonard Sweet tells of an unusual tribal custom that pictures God’s presence during our darkest hours. “One tribe of native Americans had a unique practice for training young braves. On the night of a boy’s thirteenth birthday, he was placed in a dense forest to spend the entire night alone. Until then he had never been away from the security of his family and tribe. But on this night he was blindfolded and taken miles away. When he took off the blindfold, he was in the middle of thick woods, by himself all night long. Every time a twig snapped, he probably visualized a wild animal ready to pounce. Every time an animal howled, he imagined a wolf leaping out of the darkness. Every time the wind blew, he wondered what more sinister sound it masked. No doubt it was a terrifying night for many.
”After what seemed like an eternity, the first rays of sunlight entered the interior of the forest. Looking around, the boy saw flowers, trees, and the outline of the path. Then, to his utter astonishment, he beheld the figure of a man standing just a few feet away, armed with a bow and arrow. It was the boy’s father. He had been there all night long.” Likewise, God never forsakes His children – even when we disobey Him. And He wants us back.
In our study of Jonah we have seen that all Christians need to periodically examine their spiritual passion to see if we have drifted from God. We also know that God is willing to do whatever it takes to awaken our hearts and bring us back. Once we become aware of our need to renew our spiritual passion and return to God, we must then take the next step. In Jonah’s story we learn how to respond to God’s promptings to return to Him. In fact, Jonah’s experience illustrates the steps back to God. Read Jonah 1:17-2:10. Notice what we learn from:
I. Jonah’s Confinement: We need to get alone with God – 1:17.
In his testimony, the prophet wrote, in verse seventeen, “Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” Now, I would like to suggest to you that the fish was a miracle of God’s grace! It was God’s way of giving Jonah a second chance. Think about it, Jonah expected death. He knew that the wages of sin, of disobedience meant death and when he was cast into the raging sea that’s what he expected. He deserved it, in fact, the justice of God, demanded it. But then, out of nowhere the great fish gulped him down and he finds himself alive inside the fish.
A word about the fish! It just says it was a "great fish." I am not sure what kind of fish it was. All I know is that the critics have a hard time swallowing the story of Jonah because they say it couldn’t happen. But it could happen. An average sperm whale may have a mouth 20 feet long, 15 feet high and 9 feet wide. Let me tell you this is a big animal. In fact, it’s about the biggest mammal on the planet. That explains how the fish could swallow a person. The sperm whale feeds largely on squid. These squid are often larger then people. Whalers have sometimes found an entire squid in the stomach of a dead whale.
As to whether a man could survive in a whale’s stomach, he certainly could, it would be uncomfortable, but it’s possible. There would be air to breathe, of a sort, because air is needed to keep the animal afloat, it would be hot about 104-108F. Add to that the unpleasant contact with the animal’s gastric juices, which might affect the skin. There was actually a case of man who had been swallowed by a whale and lived. It happened on the ship, Star of the East. In February 1891, this whaling ship spotted a large sperm whale in the vicinity of the Falkland Islands. Two boats were launched, and shortly a harpooner speared the whale. The second boat attempted to get in another harpoon, but the boat was overturned in the process and one man drowned. Another man, James Bartley, disappeared and was assumed drowned. In time the whale was killed and drawn to the side of the ship where it was tied fast and the blubber removed. The following day the stomach was hoisted onto the deck. That’s where James Bartley was. He was in the whale’s stomach, unconscious, but alive. He recovered and did his job again.
But regardless of what kind of “great fish” this was, God chose to use the fish to rescue Jonah, it was a miracle. And if you can’t accept the miracle of Jonah and the great fish then there are a lot of other miracles in the Bible that are going to give you trouble. If you have trouble with Jonah then you probably will have trouble accepting the fact that the Red Sea was opened for Moses and the Israelites; the manna given to the Hebrews in the wilderness; the fire by night and the cloud by day; the water from the rock; the Jordan River parting for Joshua or the walls of Jericho coming down. However, as I have stated previously the greatest reason to believe the story of Jonah is because Jesus accepted it as true. (Matthew 12:38-41)
Now, the type of fish isn’t as important as the role of the fish. Some see this fish simply as God’s judgment on Jonah. But God used the sea as His hand of correction. The fish, on the other hand, represents much more than God’s correction. The fish was:
A. A protective haven from the sea –1:17. “Jonah was in the fish.” The fish represents God’s provision for Jonah’s protection. God still intended to use Jonah. While the three days and nights in the fish’s belly were extremely difficult and painful, God had no intention of killing Jonah. If God wanted Jonah dead, He could have left him in the ocean and sent a shark! God didn’t want Jonah dead, His desire to break Jonah’s disobedient will. Why? Because He wasn’t finished with Jonah yet. God sent the fish to rescue him from dying. So, even in the throws of the consequences of his disobedience God still loved and rescued Jonah.
B. A personal transport to the coast – 1:17, 2:10. After “three days and three nights” [1:17], “God commanded the fish and it vomited Jonah on dry land” [2:10]. The three days and nights probably had nothing to do with the speed of the fish, but rather I think it had everything to do with the time Jonah needed to empty his sinful heart. When Jonah was ready to obey God, the fish was ready to release him. This scenario also represents God’s sovereign timing. God had a specific place that He wanted Jonah; however, the prophet was in the wrong place. None the less, the Lord still desired for Jonah to go to Nineveh. So, God prepared a way to move him from the middle of the ocean back to where he started.
C. A private sanctuary with the Lord – 2:1. Let me quickly point out that sometimes a crisis experience is exactly what we need to get us to pray (2:1). I want you to notice when he prayed. “Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the fish’s belly.” The belly of the fish became Jonah’s sanctuary. What is a “sanctuary?” What makes a church auditorium, a prayer closet, or even a fish’s belly a sanctuary? It is the place where you encounter God. And you can know that you have encountered God when He has your attention. In that moment everything, except God, diminishes in your sight. Everything else is just a distraction. And when you enter His presence you will not leave the same.
Think of what happened inside that fish. Inside the fish, Jonah recognized his utter dependence on God. Listen to the desperation in his voice: “I cried out for help” [2:2], “I said, ‘I have been banished’” [2:4], and “As my life was fading away, I remembered the Lord.” [2:7]. It was when Jonah exhausted all hope, that God moved in. Inside the fish, God stripped the wayward prophet of both his pride and prejudice [2:8]. God removed all spiritual distractions. Inside the fish, Jonah submitted to God without any reservation [2:9]. Jonah was changed.
R. T. Kendall put it this way, he said: the belly of the fish is not a happy place to LIVE, but it is a good place to LEARN. And Jonah had a lot to LEARN...For three days in that smelly, dark fish belly he pondered his situation. He did a lot of soul-searching. He eventually saw the foolishness of his sin. He saw his need for God and then he prayed the prayer that makes up most of this second chapter. When Jonah had turned his back on God, it did not bother him to be separated from God. But suddenly, when Jonah was thrown over board, as he faced death, he found that it bothered him tremendously to be separated from God. The most terrifying aspect of Jonah’s dilemma was when he realized that God had almost given him what he wanted – to be free of his presence. Jonah wanted to run from God. Now the implication of that very separation is what brings Jonah to repentance.
So what we see is that Jonah got alone with God in the belly of the fish and the voice of sin, of fame, and of others became faint sounds. But the voice of God became loud and clear. If you have wandered from God and sense your need to renew your faith, then get alone with Him today. Find a private place to meet with God. You don’t need a dramatic event; you just need to be alone with God.
II. Jonah’s Communion: We need to listen to God’s voice.
In verse 2 it states, “And he said: "I cried out to the LORD because of my affliction, And He answered me….” The words “cried out” in this verse means in this case to utter a loud sound. I would simply ask you this, If you found yourself alive in a fishes belly and knew beyond a shadow of doubt that God had put you there, what would you say? Psst. Lord I could use a little help here? Or would you be shouting at the top of your voice, “Help Me!! Please God Help Me!” Jonah did neither of these, but rather he prayed. Jonah’s prayer recorded in chapter two has much to teach us about prayer.
Some commentators seem to think that Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days before he began to pray. My personal thought is that before he cleared the tonsils of the fish he was already praying. Jonah is in a very secluded spot and I think we can safely say that now God has Jonah’s undivided attention.
But what do you pray when you don’t know what to pray. You may or may not realize it but Jonah prayed back the word of God. Jonah is praying through the book of Psalms. At least 7 times in the following verses he quotes from the book of Psalms. Jonah is standing on the promises of God and praying through the Scripture. He allows the Word of God to permeate his thoughts. Notice at least seven specific references. • “Your billows swept over me” [2:3] Compare with Psalm 42:7. • “I have been banished” [2:4]. Compare with Psalm 31:22. • “engulfed me up the neck” [2:5]. Compare with Psalm 69:1. • “my life was fading away” [2:7]. Compare to Psalm 147:3. • “To Your holy temple” [2:7]. Compare to Psalm 18:6. • “to worthless idols” [2:8]. Compare to Psalm 31:6 [“Worthless idols” in Jonah 2:8 literally means “empty nothings” ] • “Salvation is from the Lord” [2:9]. Compare to Psalm 3:8.
The Word of God was critical for Jonah’s spiritual recovery, but Why? First, God spoke to Jonah’s heart through His Word and God speaks to our hearts through His Word. This right here reminds us of the value of hiding God’s Word in our hearts. Secondly God guides our thoughts by His thoughts. What is a word? It is a physical representation of a thought. God’s Word is a physical representation of His thoughts on a level and in a language we can comprehend. Jonah’s thoughts were unlike God’s thoughts. The Word of God guided Jonah to understand and acknowledge God’s thoughts about him. Thirdly, God’s Word has a cleansing effect on us. Notice that Jonah’s rebellious heart softened. God’s Word will always guide us back to Him if we will just follow it like Jonah.
III. Jonah’s Confession: We need to pour out our hearts to God.
When you come to the place that you know God has your attention and you know that you must return, what might you say to Him? Notice four responses that Jonah made concerning God’s correction and drawing. A. I recognize Your hand at work here – 2:3, 4. He said, “You threw me into the depths” and “I have been banished from Your sight.” Notice the words “You” and “Your.” Jonah makes the connection between his disobedience and God’s correction. Furthermore, he holds God blameless and himself guilty. You see Jonah acknowledged what had happened to him had been caused by God, but he also acknowledged it was his own fault.
B. I turn my eyes back to You – 2:4. Jonah added, “yet I will look once more toward Your holy temple.” Jonah was returning from his backsliding state. Here’s a good definition of backsliding: Taking your eyes off God. Likewise, a good definition of repentance is turning your eyes back to God. Jonah was turning his eyes back to God.
C. I thank You for Your compassion – 2:6. “But You raised my life from the Pit, Lord my God,” he confessed. In case you missed it, Jonah offers thanks. He believes that God has left him alive for a purpose. Now we sit here and we think why thanksgiving? What does Jonah possibly have to be thankful for? He had been swallowed by a great fish and he was some where in the great deep awaiting his ultimate death, what does he have to be thankful for? Jonah was not thankful that God had delivered him from the fish because God had not yet delivered him. He was not thankful that God was going to deliver him, because he had no idea that God was going to do it. What he was thankful for was that God had turned him from rebellion and had caused him to call on the name of the Lord once again. He was thankful for salvation. He was thankful for the abiding grace of God (v.9). Church, we can learn from Jonah that no matter how long we are in the belly of the fish, as a Christian we can still be thankful and praise God for our salvation and for Christ Saving Grace.
D. I renew my commitment to You – 2:9. “But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD. He promised, “I will fulfill my vows.” Repentance without obedience results in failure. True repentance requires change. Let me just say real quickly, it is possible to be honest about your sin, acknowledge your sin and even acknowledge that God is just in what has happened and still be unrepentant about it. So I say again, true repentance requires change. A man in a certain church was known to rededicate his life on a regular basis. And he always prayed the same prayer, “Lord, remove the cobwebs from my life.” Upon hearing the prayer yet another time, his Pastor whispered this prayer to the man, “And Lord, while you’re at it, kill the spiders!”
As we come to a close let’s look at our last verse, verse 10, “So the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.” Just a little side note here is that no matter how far you get from God there is always a way back…..BUT the way back may not be a beautiful emotional experience. Jonah left on a ship bound for Tarshish but he did not return in the same way. He spent three days and three nights in the digestive system of a great fish only to be vomited up on the seashore. We must never fool ourselves into thinking that we can walk away from God without cost. But, with that said there is hope in knowing that no matter how bad we mess up and no matter how far away we get from the Lord there is always a way back, but most importantly He is ready to take us back.
So what can we learn, we can learn that when we return to God He will take us back. We have a God who loves us when we mess things up, we have a God who cares about us even though we’ve caused our own problems. A God who’s ready to give us another chance, that’s the kind of God we serve.
In fact, scripture is full of stories of God forgiving people who didn’t deserve another chance. Just to turn to the Bible and examine the kind of people God loved. The Bible tells of a murderer and adulterer who gained a reputation as the greatest king of the Old Testament, David a "man after God’s own heart." It speaks of a church being led by a disciple named Peter who cursed and swore that he had never known Jesus. When you read the Book of Acts you meet a man who loved to watch Christians be persecuted and martyred. But then he meets Jesus and becomes an apostle of grace, a servant of Jesus Christ, the greatest missionary history has ever known, the Apostle Paul. If God can love that kind of person, then he can love me. Grace means there is nothing I can do to make God love me more, and nothing I can do to make God love me less. It means that I, who deserves eternal death, is invited to take my place at the table in God’s family.
The story of Jonah reminds us that no matter how far we’ve strayed from God He is eager to welcome us back home. Are there consequences of rejecting God and His ways? Yes there is, remember Jonah was thrown into the sea and spent 3 days and nights in the fish. However, don’t miss the bigger point, God forgave Jonah and accepted him back. Some of you here this morning may have given up on yourselves. You may have decided that after the mistakes you’ve made, there’s nothing you can do but accept your fate. God eagerly waits for you to turn to Him so that He can forgive you and give you the fresh start you long for.
“Returning to God”
“Jonah’s Prayer”
Jonah 1:17-2:1-10
I. Jonah’s ______________: We need to get alone with God.
II. Jonah’s ______________: We need to listen to God’s voice.
III. Jonah’s ______________: We need to pour out our hearts to God.
