“Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love.But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you;what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!” Jonah 2:8-9 (ESV) We are looking at Jonah’s prayer as he cries out to the Lord from the belly of a big fish. These final two verses in his prayer reveal the emptiness of chasing anything apart from God. From the belly of the great fish, Jonah reflects on…
“I called out to the LORD, out of my distress,and he answered me: out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and he heard my voice.” Jonah 2:2 When Jonah cried out to God from the belly of the fish, he was in complete desperation. Everything around him felt dark, uncomfortable, and hopeless. Yet in the middle of that place, Jonah began to recognize something unexpected: God had not simply saved him from the fish — God had saved him…
“Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish.” Jonah 2:1 (ESV) Jonah is in quite a predicament. He finds himself in the belly of a fish, and it is there that he reaches out to God. Many times, we find ourselves in the same situation as Jonah. We know God, but we have neglected to spend time in conversation with Him. At times, like Jonah, we even run from His presence. Then suddenly, we…
In Jonah 1:17, we read these words: “And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights” (ESV). Have you ever been caught off guard by an event that seemed to come out of nowhere? Being swallowed by a great fish would certainly qualify. This moment in Jonah’s life is not only a powerful lesson but also a means by which God protects and preserves…
In Jonah chapter 1, we are introduced to Jonah the prophet, the ship’s captain, and the sailors. As they begin to realize that Jonah is the cause of the storm, something striking happens. They go from crying out to their own gods to crying out to the Lord. Unlike Jonah, these pagan sailors show concern for the lives of everyone on board. They even care about Jonah’s life. Rather than immediately throwing him overboard, they row harder, trying to escape…
One way decisions were made in the time of the Book of Jonah was by casting lots. Even among the Israelites, lots were sometimes cast to discern the divine will. With no one knowing why this storm had come upon the ship, the sailors began to cast lots. The lot fell on Jonah. When Jonah faced questions about who he was, where he was from, why he was on the ship, and why his presence had brought on the storm,…
I’m sure we’ve all heard the saying, “You can run, but you can’t hide.” Jonah tries to run. His ticket to Tarshish places him aboard a ship, a means of escape. But stepping onto that vessel sets him on an unexpected journey. Soon, the ship is rocking violently in the storm, yet Jonah is asleep in the hold—the lowest place on the vessel. Above him, the sailors are frightened as the ship is tossed by the waves and is at…
Jonah was a prophet to Israel during the reign of King Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:23–28). He was not new to hearing from God. He had already been used as a voice to speak truth into the nation. So when we meet him in the book of Jonah, we’re not looking at a beginner—we’re looking at someone who knows exactly what it means to hear and respond to God. Then comes the assignment. God calls Jonah to go to Nineveh…
The Book of Jonah, which is known as a minor prophet in the Old Testament, is often remembered as a simple children’s story—a reluctant prophet, a great fish, and a dramatic rescue. But Jonah’s story is far more layered than we may recall. It’s a narrative that invites us to wrestle with deeper questions about obedience, grace, mercy, and our own response to God’s call. Years ago, for a fall Sunday School event at my home church, a group of…
I have had the opportunity to travel across the “pond” several times. I have helped build small homes in Jamaica, preached in England, vacationed in Germany, and visited friends in Russia. With each trip, I have learned more about myself and about the people I have shared life within these places. In the midst of my traveling, some of the most important moments have been shared over a cup of tea. Now, I say tea because I am a tea…