Day 388: When life is ebbing away – Jonah 1 vs 17 – 2 vs 10
1 vs 17 The Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. 2 vs 1-2 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying, “I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. 3-4 For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’ 5-6 The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me for ever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God.
7 When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. 8-9 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!” 10 And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land. Jonah 1:17-2:10 English Standard Version
This was surely the strangest place ever from which a prayer was prayed! God appointed a sea creature large enough to swallow a man, and it was from the belly of the fish that Jonah cried out to God to spare his life. But did this really happen or was it just a story? When I look at the description Jonah gives in vs 3 -6 I'm persuaded it was a real experience – a miraculous one. But we're not told ALL the details. How long was Jonah conscious for? At what moment did he pray this prayer? Is it a summary of many prayers he lifted up during the experience? What we do know, however, is that Jesus Christ referred to this miracle as an example of an even greater miracle that God would do in Him. Matthew 12:38-40 says: “Some of the scribes and Pharisees said, 'Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.' But He answered them, 'An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.'”
In the case of Jonah, what does vs 7 tell us were his thoughts at the time?
He thought he was about to die. Perhaps some events of his life flashed through his mind, including the fact that he was currently running away from God's will for his life. But what does that verse tell us he did as he felt the end was near?
He remembered the Lord and poured out his prayers to the one who was able to save him from death. This was said of Jesus too. “In the days of His humanity, He offered up both prayers and pleas with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His devout behaviour.” (Hebrews 5:7) This is the great hope of every believer. We have a God who is able to save us through the experience of death. But for anyone who isn't a Christian, don't leave it till you feel life is ebbing away. Call upon the Lord now while you can. Salvation belongs to the Lord.