To The Mom Who Feels Hopeless
2 Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly,
9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.
10 And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.
Jonah 2:2,9-10
It must have seemed hopeless speaking a prayer in the belly of a fish in the depths of the sea far from any shore. He must have felt despondent knowing his actions placed him in such a terrible circumstance. But his grief-stricken heart spoke a prayer; in that prayer, he “offers sacrifices of thanksgiving.”
Let’s be honest, sometimes thanksgiving does seem like a sacrifice, especially when we are in “the belly of a fish.” It’s painful to praise when our situation is so dire there is no possible way through. We don’t relish rejoicing when hurt, pain, death, separation, and rejection is the only outcome you can foresee.
Jonah gives an account in his prayer of how his helpless body sank as he says, “ the depths closed in around me; weeds were wrapped around my head.” Then a whale swallows him. He is saved from the raging waters BUT he is in a whale. I find it so interesting that Jonah praises God while now facing what may seem to be a more painstaking and tragic death.
Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding.”
It’s really difficult to both Trust in the Lord and lean on your own understanding. If I had been in Jonah’s shoes my own understanding would see one of three possible outcomes.
My own understanding would tell me I will be slowly digested by the putrid-smelling acid inside this ginormous belly.
My own understanding would let me know that even if I do manage to escape, the swim to the surface would surely do me in.
My own understanding would also allow me to realize that if I were able to escape and survive the swim to the surface I would never endure reaching the shoreline.
But that is the very reason the author in Proverbs said, Trust in God NOT your own understanding. Because we CANNOT understand how God can work.
So Jonah offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving in an impossible scenario. Let’s get this straight. There is no good foreseeable outcome for Jonah here. BUT THEN…
Vs. 10
“Then the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah on dry land.”
Hold up, the Lord SPOKE TO A FISH!
Never in my wildest imagination would I think that would have been the next part of the story!
And if the LORD can speak to a fish…IF THE LORD CAN SPEAK TO A FISH, and the fish obeys Him…
What can’t He speak to in your life?
What circumstance is beyond His reach?
What stronghold can’t He break?
What situation can’t He turn around?
What crisis can’t He amend?
What marriage can’t He save?
What child can’t He lead back home?
My dear friend,
I write this knowing that you may be looking at what is in front of you right now and seeing no way through; but if He can speak to a fish, He can surely speak into any depth of darkness you are in right now. The pit you find yourself in, where human understanding is saying, “it’s over”…God is saying,
“NOT YET!”
