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- Oct 26, 2007
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Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish, 2 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. Jonah 2:1-2 ESV
As a prophet, Jonah wasn’t great. He may have occasionally relayed God’s words, but his heart was far from God.
When God told Jonah to go to Nineveh—a powerful enemy of Israel—he went in the opposite direction. When the boat he was on encountered a perilous storm, the pagan sailors pleaded with Jonah to pray to His God. Eventually, Jonah was tossed overboard, and the waves subsided.
Jonah did eventually pray not that God would save the sailors whose lives he imperiled with his disobedience but with thanksgiving that his own life was spared.
Our prayer lives can reveal a lot about where our hearts are in relation to God’s. Do we see the needs of others and pray for them? Do we recognize how our actions have affected those around us and repent? Or do we go through life not seeing or caring about anyone but ourselves, thanking God for our blessings but not doing what He asks?
We can do better than Jonah. A true man of God prays for others and follows God’s call, even (especially) when it means showing love to his enemies.
Prayer: Lord, keep me from going the wrong direction with the message You’ve entrusted to me.
As a prophet, Jonah wasn’t great. He may have occasionally relayed God’s words, but his heart was far from God.
When God told Jonah to go to Nineveh—a powerful enemy of Israel—he went in the opposite direction. When the boat he was on encountered a perilous storm, the pagan sailors pleaded with Jonah to pray to His God. Eventually, Jonah was tossed overboard, and the waves subsided.
Jonah did eventually pray not that God would save the sailors whose lives he imperiled with his disobedience but with thanksgiving that his own life was spared.
Our prayer lives can reveal a lot about where our hearts are in relation to God’s. Do we see the needs of others and pray for them? Do we recognize how our actions have affected those around us and repent? Or do we go through life not seeing or caring about anyone but ourselves, thanking God for our blessings but not doing what He asks?
We can do better than Jonah. A true man of God prays for others and follows God’s call, even (especially) when it means showing love to his enemies.
Prayer: Lord, keep me from going the wrong direction with the message You’ve entrusted to me.
