JONAH’S PRAYER
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.
The most important prayer you will ever pray is the prayer of salvation. It is a prayer every Believer must pray: recognizing our limitations and sins while choosing to believe that Jesus paid for all our sins on the cross. It is believing that Jesus rose again from the dead, rescued us from our sins, and offered us eternal life with God in heaven.
“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.” (Jonah 2:1-2)
In the story of Jonah, he ran from God’s calling; we see him cry out to God as he’s tossed into the ocean and was in the belly of the fish three days. Even at Jonah’s lowest point, God heard him and saved him.
“When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the LORD; And my prayer went up to You, Into Your holy temple.” (Jonah 2:7)
Now being swallowed by that huge fish probably was not the ‘saving’ that Jonah had in mind, but it allowed Jonah three days to think, reflect, and ultimately decide to stop running from God and start running to God.
“But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.” (Jonah 2:9)
You can imagine all the thoughts going through Jonah’s head. Reflecting on his life and the choices that he made that got him into this circumstance, Jonah had a change of heart. From the belly of that huge fish, Jonah’s rock bottom moment, he prayed and thanked God for saving him and decided to stop running. As he asked God for forgiveness, he began to run towards God.
Are you running from God? Maybe like Jonah, you need to step back and reevaluate the decisions that led to where you are today. Perhaps you need to pray a prayer of redirection and ask God to refocus your life. Maybe it is time to stop running from God and start running towards God. When you decide to run towards God, you will experience the joy of running with God. This will make all the difference in the world.
God is calling you today. Will you answer Him?
Heavenly Father, But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD. I am thankful for Your arms of forgiveness, which reaches out to a hurting world that needs a Redeemer. I am part of the family of You, and I want to listen and do Your calling and will for my life. I do not want life to get into a situation where I say I should have listened. I will obey You as You speak to me in the still small voice or through Your Word. What we sometimes take for granted is the most precious gift in life. That is my redemption in You. Thank You so much, Father, for Your arms of Love extended to me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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Stop Running From God And Start Running Towards God. When You Decide To Run Towards God You Will Experience The Joy Of Running With God. This Will Make All The Difference In The World.
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