Read
Jonah's Prayer
1From inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the Lord his God:
2When I was in trouble, Lord,
I prayed to you,
and you listened to me.
From deep in the world
of the dead,
I begged for your help,
and you answered my prayer.
3You threw me down
to the bottom of the sea.
The water was churning
all around;
I was completely covered
by your mighty waves.
4I thought I was swept away
from your sight,
never again to see
your holy temple.
5I was almost drowned
by the swirling waters
that surrounded me.
Seaweed had wrapped
around my head.
6I had sunk down deep
below the mountains
beneath the sea.
I knew that forever,
I would be a prisoner there.
But, you, Lord God,
rescued me from that pit.
7When my life was slipping away,
I remembered you—
and in your holy temple
you heard my prayer.
8All who worship worthless idols
turn from the God
who offers them mercy.
9But with shouts of praise,
I will offer a sacrifice
to you, my Lord.
I will keep my promise,
because you are the one
with power to save.
10 The Lord commanded the fish to vomit up Jonah on the shore. And it did.
Reflect
One of the lessons that God is teaching Jonah throughout this book is the same lesson that God is teaching us. The whole book is teaching a lesson about the kindness of God’s mercy.
God’s mercy towards the superstitious, idolatrous sailors who don’t even know God, but end up asking God to have mercy when they throw Jonah overboard. God immediately calms the sea and they make vows to God and offer sacrifices to him. The mercy of God towards a rebellious, disobedient prophet, Jonah, who attempts to run from God, even to take his life. Yet God orchestrates the circumstances so that he too ends up being the object of God’s kindness and being rescued by God. And the mercy of God upon the wicked and evil city of Nineveh, which repents and whose citizens humble themselves by fasting before God and God chooses to have mercy.
However, I think Jonah forgets what many of us at times can forget, that being on the receiving end of God’s kindness does not necessarily prove his delight or pleasure in us because he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked (see Luke 6:45). God’s blessing does not mean God’s approval.
Just because God calmed the sea, it does not mean God approves of throwing people overboard at sea. Similarly, God would not have approved of Jonah trying to take his own life. And just because he spared Nineveh it does not mean he approved of their wickedness.
We should not be too quick to pat ourselves on the back when we are the objects of God’s kindness. But as we read of Jonah in this chapter, the sailors in chapter 1 and Nineveh in the chapters to follow, we should be quick to recognize God’s kindness and to praise him for it, precisely because our motives and actions are more often undeserving of his kindness.
Respond
Father, for your undeserved kindness and mercy I give you thanks. Let me never become so proud as to think that I have earned what can only be given by grace and received by faith with thanksgiving. Amen.
Merv Budd
Merv Budd is Sr. Minister at North Burlington Baptist church and the National Director of the Equipping Evangelists (E²). Merv has served as a missionary with Operation Mobilization in India and Nepal and he holds a Master’s of Divinity degree from Regent College. He is presently working on his Doctor of Practical Theology Degree from McMaster Divinity College. He has a passion to see all people given an opportunity to put their trust in Jesus Christ. He is married to Lisa and is the father of Josiah and Danielle.