You are , or should be turned to Jonah 1:17

In the midst of punishment, God remembers mercy 17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. In the midst of punishment, God remembers mercy Not even Jonah contests his guilt If he dies, it is no more than justice But, God will save this one who has offended Him. And is running He is not so much hurt as he is reduced to his duty The sign of Jonah (Matt. 12:39) God prepared Jonah’s grave He is there for three days and nights He returns from the grave He is brought forth for the salvation of many

Jonah God and Jonah have parted in anger Jonah has fled from the Lord in disobedience The reconciliation begins with God as the initiator God returns to Jonah in mercy He has prepared a great fish that Jonah might not die Jonah has been rebuked by the mariners for not praying There is no record that he ever did pray That is about to change

Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, In his extremity Jonah prays He has witnessed tokens of The Lords displeasure He feels the weight of his sin When we are afflicted we must pray (Job 36:13) When we are humble and contrite He has a token of God’s intention of mercy He prays from the fishes belly From this dark dungeon he has access to The Father

He has been fleeing from God Now he sees the folly of it 2 saying, "I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. He has been fleeing from God Now he sees the folly of it He engages in his heart to approach God Not just any God, but his God We must be thankful that we are in covenant with The Father Every transgression against the covenant does not put us out of it This truth encourages the backslider to return From the belly of Sheol

3 For 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. See the goodness of God in bringing us into affliction Many will not cry out to God from prosperity and ease If we are to pray, it must be this side of death Though he mariners were the instruments, Jonah that he in in this place by the hand of God Jonah recognizes that they were God’s waves and His billows – Both made and directed by Him Jonah quotes from Psalm 42:7 Here is a demonstration of the usefulness of memorization When we are oppressed, it is good to remind The Lord of His aid to others in similar stress Strictly speaking, however, Jonah’s case has no parallel

4 Then I said, 'I am driven away from your sight; Yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.' He sought to leave the presence of God Not that separation is his greatest grief He is in a place where no one can see him Consider for a moment what it means to be lost Jonah does not grieve as one who has no hope He is revived to believe that The Father has sent this fish so that he may be preserved He will again see the temple of God He will cast his eye in the direction of the Presence and the mercy seat Remember that Christ is the temple (Matt 24, 26)

Jonah’s case is hopeless He cannot help himself 5 The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head Jonah’s case is hopeless He cannot help himself No man knows of his condition No one can reach him here to help him The great fish continues in its courses The sea plants that he devours wrap themselves about the prophet Unless God helps him, he is beyond help

6 at the roots of the mountains 6 at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. Here is another elegant description of his condition He is at the bottom of the sea The very root of the great mountains of the land are here Jonah views them as bars to his prison His souls desponds – he will lie here forever He does not say that his fate is undeserved It is His pit If the Lord should rescue him would be grace Yet, Jonah knows that The Lord is good and merciful He acknowledges The Lord as his God What will be the sinners hope when he is similarly engulfed?

7 When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. Jonah is in a dire situation He felt himself dying He cannot help himself Then he remembers The Lord In Faith In prayer He recalls The Lord’s mercy The Lord hears his prayer from the dephs of his prison From the temple Either in Jerusalem Or in heaven