jonah, chapter 2

1 Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly,  [what He will do to get us to talk with Him. what He will allow us to go through. i have only been wheeled into an operating room once. lying prostrate, looking at the large rectangular flourescent lights passing above me, seeing faces of strangers looking down, trusting them, their knowledge, their skill with my life. these moments, when we are carried on the gurney of our lives toward the moment of utter dependence, God is moved with compassion. He is most intently aware of our pain, our fear, our hopes, our longings. He is most intimately involved in our healing. He is most acutely aware of our need. He listens with a heart bursting with love, the heart of a Good Father, a Loving God, and He watches tears stream from our eyes, as we drift into the oblivion of trust.]

2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.  [the belly of hell, what is your belly of hell? is it a job, or lack thereof? is it an injury or the troubles of triumph? whatever it is, He will hear and answer. though often not in a way we understand. He always answers. it is not that He speaks amiss, it is solely our faulty hearing that causes the confusion.]

3 For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.  [we blame God for everything. "thou hadst cast me" uh, no jonah, thou hadst cast thyself, remember? God didn't do the leaving in the fireswamp. even when the church flings us upon the mercy of God, into the depths of the sea, God can use it. romans 8:28 promises all things are used for good, not just the easy, not just the understandable. but the perplexing mysteries of God are used as well. my billows and waves are a great fog. i am beginning to understand it is not the way of the christian to walk always on the clearly demarked path. it is the way of the christian to step out in faith. to feel the stone path beneath the foot outstretched in faith. when our eyes are blinded by the fog of events, and our senses diminished by the circumstances of life, when we can hear only “our shrieks of pain,” even then, especially then, we must not flee the presence of God.]

4 Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.  [the way of salvation is to look up, to the serpent raised in the desert. to the Saviour raised on the cross. look again, when your eyes fail and your heart grows faint. when you feel abandoned by God, abandoned by the church, abandoned by human comfort. look to the One who is lifted high above all else, and you will find Him.]

5 The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.  [i have heard the word suicide too many times recently. i am convinced it is a great weed that wraps itself around our heads. when we flounder the enemy comes to us and whispers, there is a ship departing for Joppa, here is the way. but i believe God has greater designs for us than flight. greater purposes for us than alleviating our pain. He requires trust, when the way has fallen from under our feet, like a bridge of frail hopes and dreams. when the weeds entangle us and tether us to doom, He awaits the word of hope, the prayer of faith, the look of trust in His child’s eyes.]

6 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.  [from death He fashions life. from delaying He allowed fashioned His glory. Lazarus died. the Lord Himself mourned him. but Jesus Christ, the Risen Saviour, spoke the words of Life and quickened him again.]

7 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.  [when my soul fainted, fainted from my ignorance. fainted from my rebellion. when my soul fainted within me 'i remembered the Lord.' how nice. how human. we do all the forgetting and rebelling, God does all the faithful abiding and forgiving. but He knows how we are fashioned. He made a way through the perils of humanity.]

8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.  [we forsake our own mercies every day when we do not fall on our faces before the Lord. lying vanities. those words strike me to the core, what does it mean to observe lying vanities?]

9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. [we are never told what he vowed, but God knows. He knows what you vowed, what i vowed, in those frightened moments when our child's face was frozen in the grip of belle's palsy, God knows the vows you vowed. fulfill them.]

Salvation is of the LORD.  [Amen!]

10 And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. [the Lord delivered jonah unto safety. he didn't deserve it. he didn't even request it. but God gave jonah another chance. each day, we get another chance. each moment. until the breath is gone from our lungs, it is never too late]