Thoughts for the Day

Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying,

‘I called to the Lord out of my distress,
and he answered me;
out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
and you heard my voice.
You cast me into the deep,
into the heart of the seas,
and the flood surrounded me;
all your waves and your billows
passed over me....
I went down to the land
whose bars closed upon me for ever;
yet you brought up my life from the Pit,
O Lord my God.
As my life was ebbing away,
I remembered the Lord;
and my prayer came to you,
into your holy temple.
Those who worship vain idols
forsake their true loyalty.
But I with the voice of thanksgiving
will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay.
Deliverance belongs to the Lord!’

Then the Lord spoke to the fish, and it spewed Jonah out upon the dry land.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Last Sunday we began to look at the book of Jonah. Was it history or fiction, and what were the themes? The first theme was, God was in control! Today, we look at another, at Thanksgiving. For whatever reason, perhaps because he was afraid, Jonah deliberately ignored God's command to go and preach to the warring people of Nineveh, and purposely sailed in the opposite direction. But God was not having this, and sent a storm which threatened to sink the ship. The sailors learning of his action conclude that Jonah is the problem, and with his agreement throw him overboard, with the result the storm dies down.

At the end of Chapter One we learn that God now sends a 'large fish' to swallow Jonah and keep him safe. Jonah admits that he was close to death (Sheol and Pit) when he cried to God for help. Finally, this almost sulky man turns to God, and offers a psalm of Thanksgiving. He thanks God for all that He has done to rescue him and he vows to make a sacrifice to Him. This is not repentance, he doesn't say sorry to God for ignoring His commands, and neither does he promise to obey Him. It's perhaps a start. Finally God ensures that the fish spews Jonah out onto dry land.

Sometimes we are brought low by illness or other troubles and it's only when we are at rock bottom that we turn to God. Somehow He has a way of bringing us to the point where we want what He wants, and at that point things change, and our response is to thank Him for His mercy.

Merciful God,
may we learn to see things
through Your eyes.
May we begin to see that
what we believe is disaster
may have different outcomes,
and that illness or even death
can be the beginning
of something new.
Help us to see the positives
in life, and not the negatives,
and bring us to where
You want us to be,
so that we may praise You
for Your love and foresight.
Amen.