“Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the stomach of the fish.” (Jonah 2:1)
What keeps you from prayer? Staying too busy? Being afraid of what God might say? Maybe, like Jonah, you’ve been in a season of running from God—either openly in your behavior or quietly in your heart and mind. Whatever the case, Jonah’s prayer from the belly of the fish shows us what can happen when we finally start talking to God.
Sometimes we don’t pray because we don’t want to face what the Lord is showing us. God may let us hit bottom to get our attention. Notice when Jonah finally prayed—not while he was running but when he had nowhere to look but up. “I called out of my distress to the Lord, and He answered me” (Jonah 2:2).
At other times, we simply don’t know what to pray. Jonah shows us the power of praying Scripture. His prayer is filled with language from the Psalms, showing that God’s Word was already in his heart. God still brings His Word back to our minds when we need it most. But we have to put it there to start with. Scripture gives us words when our own words fail and keeps our prayers grounded in God’s truth.
But knowing God’s Word and obeying it are two different things. Jonah knew exactly what God had told him to do—he just didn’t want to do it. We often do the same thing. We know what God says about forgiveness, kind words, or loving others, yet we can still choose our own way.
Prayer may or may not change our circumstances but it should to change us. Jonah’s prayer shows this change taking place. Rather than making excuses, he thanked God before he was rescued and pledged his obedience. He ended with, “Salvation is from the Lord” (Jonah 2:9). Jonah finally understood that he couldn’t save himself. Only God could. You see, God didn’t send the fish to get Jonah to Ninevah but to get Jonah right with Him.
God hasn’t changed. He can still use difficult circumstances to get our attention, change our hearts, and put us back on the path He has called us to follow. If you’re in a trial today, don’t waste the opportunity to draw closer to Him in prayer. The same circumstance God uses to get your attention can become an instrument of deliverance.
