Some old farmers were discussing the best position for prayer. Some said on their knees; some said standing while others said it didn’t matter. One weather-beaten man said his most effective prayer was said while he was stuck upside-down in a well.

God just expects us to talk from our heart, but sometimes the position is created by Him. Jonah sure could pray in chapter two. This is how he ended the prayer:

Jonah 2:7-9

“When my soul fainted within me,
I remembered the Lord;
And my prayer went up to You,
Into Your holy temple.

“Those who regard worthless idols
Forsake their own Mercy.

 But I will sacrifice to You
With the voice of thanksgiving;
I will pay what I have vowed.

Has the situation you’re in caused you to cry out to God? I hope it’s not a fish story.

1 Timothy 2:8

I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting;

Think about it.

Gary

I don’t know if it was the first Maytag, but Jonah spent three days and three nights inside a specially-designed washing machine. The agitator was more than he could bear. It only had one cycle. His skin was wrinkled and his person was a wash. This was all designed to trigger a memory and make Jonah think.

Jonah 2:5-7
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, Lord my God,
    brought my life up from the pit.

“When my life was ebbing away,
    I remembered you, Lord,
and my prayer rose to you,
    to your holy temple.

Are you finding your life filled with agitation? Maybe, it’s coming from God.

You don’t have to go through a wash cycle to get clean and be presentable. Trust and obey because there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.

Think about it.

Gary

How would God go about getting a rebellious Old Testament prophet to pray? The short answer is – doing whatever is necessary to hold him accountable to his calling. God has many choices when it comes to discipline.

Jonah 2:1-4

Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly.  And he said:

“I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction,
And He answered me.

“Out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
And You heard my voice.
For You cast me into the deep,
Into the heart of the seas,
And the floods surrounded me;
All Your billows and Your waves passed over me.
Then I said, ‘I have been cast out of Your sight;
Yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.’

I’d like to take a pass on what Jonah went through, but I do know about accountability.

Romans 14:12

So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

Think about it.

Gary

Fish stories are always questioned. It has been told that that’s what my grandfather did when he listened to a friend who was telling such a tall tale. The friend had bragged that the fish was so large that he struggled to bring it in.

My grandfather said, “That’s nothing. I was fishing once and I pulled in a kerosene lantern and it was lit.”

The friend said, “Now, Tom, that’s impossible.” My grandfather said. “Well, you take six inches off that fish and I will blow out the wick on my lantern.”

Jonah was not swallowed by a whale, but by a fish specifically designed for the wayward prophet to come to his senses. A man could survive for three days and three nights in this divinely-prepared-submarine.

Jonah 1:17

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.

Has God prepared any unusual circumstances for you and how long did it take for you to realize it was from Him?

Give it some thought.

Gary

In 1971 the Three Dog Night sang, “Never Been to Spain.” It was a real hit and was right up on the top of the charts. I don’t know if they ever got to Spain, but I do know Jonah didn’t. You see Tarshish was a port in southern Spain.

It wasn’t because he didn’t plan the trip.  When he boarded that ship, his destination was Spain. However, when that ship reached Spain, Jonah was missing. The reason for that was God was in charge of the itinerary.

Jonah 1:3

 But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

We believe ourselves to be a free agent, but God can override any plan.

Proverbs 19:21

There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand.

The best course of action is to listen to God and do it, even if you never get to Spain.

Think about it.

Gary

They were just pagan mariners who came to know the living God because of the disobedience of one of His prophets. These men learned how to pray and call on God because they observed God’s dealing with His own.

Jonah 1:13-16

 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to return to land, but they could not, for the sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them.  Therefore they cried out to the Lord and said, “We pray, O Lord, please do not let us perish for this man’s life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O Lord, have done as it pleased You.”  So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.  Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and took vows.

No, it wasn’t global warming. Truth is God is in charge of all storms and that is true throughout history.  Jonah was to present truth to pagans, but he didn’t think he would begin with the crew of this ship.

Think about it.

Gary

If you worship God like Jonah confessed, but are on the run from Him, you’re in a real pickle. God just happened to have some seafarers who, although they didn’t know it, were His servants.  They interrogated Jonah, tried to save his life, and ultimately had to attempt his execution by drowning him.

Jonah 1:9-10

He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”

This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.)

If you are a child of God, don’t run, submit, The love of God won’t let you go but will follow you and hound you in such a way, you’ll cry out for repentance. God has hitmen.

Give it some thought.

Gary