Jonah 1:17 - 2:10

Turning to God

© 2000, J.W. Carter
Scripture quotes from KJV

Jonah 2:1-7.

1From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. 2He said: "In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry. 3You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. 4I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’ 5The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. 6To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God. 7"When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.

What happened to Jonah when he hit "rock bottom?"

What happens to us when we hit "rock bottom?"

We can be reminded, at this point, of the prodigal son, who demanded his inheritance from his father, turned away from his father and squandered it on selfish experiences. When it was all gone, he found himself working in pig pens, a place that would be the lowest possible experience for a Jew. While in the pig pen the prodigal "came to himself," and realized for the first time just where he was, and what the next step should be. In his case it was to return home to his father.

Jonah is having a similar experience. His response is recorded here as Hebrew poetry, so you can expect to see a lot of repetition of ideas. We see quite a different Jonah at this point. Rather than bare his fist at God and rebuke him for his actions against Jonah, what is Jonah’s response? He (1) called for help, (2) listened for an answer, (3) assessed his situation, (4) expressed hope, (5) acknowledged that God had saved him. Jonah clearly recognized what God had done, and why God had done it.

Often when we are wandering away from God, we will find ourselves in the pit of our own making, and hopefully at some point in that experience we, like Jonah and the prodigal, will "come to ourselves," and reach out to God for his mercy. At that point we have an opportunity to repent of our foolishness and hope for a renewed relationship with God in the future.

It is thought that, since the prayer of Jonah is in poetry, that he actually wrote these verses after the fact, and wrote them as a hymn. The first line of this hymn, verse 2, is structured in the typical form of an idea stated in two ways, and is a prayer that is appropriate for many people when they find themselves at the bottom of the pit. What does Jonah say in this verse? (When in distress/in the depths of the grave, I called, and you answered/heard my cry.) What does this say to us when we experience such low times? These are times when we are powerless. Certainly, Jonah was powerless to affect any part of his salvation from this experience. For some, it is this feeling of powerlessness that drives them to the point of finally crying out to God. However, we know that at these times, God hears our prayers. God listens. Furthermore, God’s plan will be accomplished, so it is up to us to be part of that plan, or continue in our misery.