Three Days of Hell #140

Jonah 2:1-2

Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly,

And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of

the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.

God gave clear instructions to Jonah. His instructions were go to Nineveh and preach repentance; instead, Jonah became angry and decided to run away from God. He rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. Jonah escaped from God, or so he thought he did, and he became a fugitive from the Lord.

Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Jonah was once at liberty to do as he willed; he once came and went as he pleased, but now he was encapsulated by the inner walls of this great fish. There was no place to run and now and he became God's captive audience. Jonah's prayers came before God's presence and the Lord heard him. When the hand of God is heavily upon our life, God is calling us to a deeper level of prayer. God invites us to Himself by allowing us to be stripped of every source of help except the Lord.

Remember that even though he was a rebellious prophet, the Lord loved Jonah. He could of allowed Jonah to die in the belly of the fish and send another prophet instead, but he didn't. Because of His great mercy, he spared Jonah's life and prepared the great fish to bring him back to Himself and give him another chance. Jonah had three days in the belly of hell and in the depth of the ocean to reflect on what was crucial or insignificant in his life. Everything in Jonah's life that could of been shaken, was shaken. In the midst of his horrible situation, he still believed that God would be merciful if he cried out unto Him.

Through Jonah's experience we realize that there is nothing that can stop the earnest prayers of His people. God hears and answers our prayers no matter who and where we are in life. If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. Jonah's prayer was earnest and continual until he was finally delivered. There is no victory without great struggle. Jesus spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.

Affliction is one of many ways that God uses to fine-tune the prayers of His people. The three days in the belly are an indication that it is only for a season and to be encouraged for it shall came to pass. The fish was specifically sent by God to swallow Jonah. It declares that our God orchestrates everything and He alone is in control of our situation. Jonah rebelled and went astray, but now his mind is refreshed, renewed, and he is focused in the things of God. Spite of Jonah's rebellion and self-righteousness, God in His faithfulness was willing to give him another chance.

Jonah 1:3, Jonah 1:17, Psalm 139:8, Luke 18:1

KJV