Jonah 2-4 Where And What He Prayed

So what happened during the time Jonah was inside the fish?  He prayed, and he remembered.

“When I was in danger, I called to the Lord, and He answered.”  Jonah had been on a ship, in danger of sinking, and God’s answer was “Get into the fish.”

Jonah couldn’t see that.  Instead, looking through his circumstances, he said, “I was driven out of Your presence … I thought I was locked in this prison (the sea) forever, but You saved me … Lord my God.”

Jonah had thought God was casting him out, when God was taking him to his salvation.

“When my life had almost gone, I remembered the Lord.  I prayed to You, and You heard my prayers in Your Holy Temple.”

Jonah had been so stuck on himself and his desires that he’d forgotten about God and what God was trying to do through him.  But God had never taken His eyes off of Jonah.

“I will praise and thank You while I give sacrifices to You, and I will keep my promises to You.  Salvation comes from the Lord!”

The most important thing about that last prayer was where Jonah was when he prayed it.  He has not petitioned God for anything this whole time.  He has only been praying prayers of thanksgiving to God.  The next verse gives us the answer of where Jonah was when he was praying this:  “Then the Lord spoke to the fish, and the fish threw up Jonah onto the dry land.”

Inside the belly of the large fish, moving through the middle of the sea, even at great depths, Jonah was spending all his time thanking God for his salvation!  This went on, not just for an hour or two, but for three days!  My commentary also said that the miracle wasn’t that the fish swallowed him, but that he wasn’t digested!

Father, when I can’t seem to see You from the middle of my circumstances, remind me that Jonah trusted, praised, and thanked You for his three-day underwater ride in much less than ideal conditions.  Help me to recognize the help You’re sending me when I need it.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford