Lessons from Jonah (pt. 2)

"Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the inside of the fish.." Jonah 1:17- 2:1 NLT

Did you catch that... Jonah was in the belly of a fish for 72 HOURS before the bible says he prayed. I wonder, was this the first time in those 72 hours Jonah prayed, or was this specific prayer important? I don't know for certain, but it definately got me thinking.

How many times do we wait to pray?

When everything is going great do we still praise God and talk with him daily, or just when things are hard?

When things do get hard, because we know that trials will come, is the Lord the first one we turn too?

Personally, I know I've turned to other people before God. Called every last person in my phone, no one answered of course, and then crying out LORD, I'M ALONE... All the while I can invision him looking at me saying "really Amanda, because my line is never busy." We often underestimate how much God truly cares for us and desires for us to tell Him what is going on in our lives. He wants to be our 'best friend' but if we don't talk to Him often, how can the relationship stay strong?

Or is it Pride that keeps us from calling out to God first?

As rediculous as it sounds, being the stubborn person I am, I always try to handle things on my own first. Bringing God areas of my life I'm imperfect at shows my weakness... or so I thought. The reality is in our weaknesses, the Lord shows His strength. If we were able to 'fix' our own lives and be perfect, we wouldn't need Jesus. (And Oh How I need JESUS!!! I'm greatly looking forward to heaven when perfection is possible!)

Chapter two wraps up with God hearing Jonah's prayer and odering the fish to spit Jonah out onto a beach. (yes, I'm aware how gross that is...) But the beauty is in the fact that even despite Jonah's disobedience, God still cares for Jonah. As Jonah realized the Lord is in charge and the director of our lives, God gave Jonah a second chance to do what Jonah was called to do, prophesy in Ninevah. The Lord is a God of second chances. It's amazing that He cares that much for us. When we repent and truly have remorseful hearts, the Lord-in his grace and mercy- forgives us. Praise God he doesn't just let us die in the seas (troubles) of Life!