Jonah Cried Out to the Lord.
Jonah cried out to the Lord from the belly of a giant sea creature. Is that even possible? Read on. Brian thinks it is entirely possible.
Was it Really a Big Fish?
In Jonah 1:17 we read,
Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Jonah 1:17
The “fish” could have been a blue whale. They are the biggest animal that has ever lived on our planet, far bigger than the biggest dinosaur. One hundred feet long and weighing over two hundred tons. Its tongue weighs as much as an elephant. Its heart is the size of a car. Some of its blood vessels are so wide you could swim down them, let alone get a man down its throat!
Could a Fish Swallow a Man?
It seems we have more trouble swallowing the Jonah story than the whale did swallowing Jonah. Let us put this whole issue in perspective: Genesis 1:1 states,
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1
Don’t go any further. If you think that is possible – that God could make a universe out of nothing. A universe so big that if you lived another 50 years and tried to cross that universe at the speed of light, at 186,000 miles per second, you could not do it. In fact, you would need, not fifty years but – 156 … billion … years.
Don’t you think the God who could do that could appoint a whale to swallow a man, have him survive for three full days and have the whale spit him back out on dry land? And God can do more than squeeze Jonah into a giant fish. He can squeeze a camel through the eye of a needle and even get a rich man into heaven. He can bring you and me into heaven.
When Jonah Cried Out to the Lord
In Jonah 2:1 we read,
Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly.
Jonah 2:1
He waited three days and nights before praying. Why did he wait? From Sunday School, I sort of pictured things like this: Toss Jonah into the sea – Sea gets calm – Fish swallows Jonah. But how long was he in the sea before he was in the fish?
A Cry Out of Hell
Maybe it happened more like this: He is tossed into the raging sea. Sometime later, a fish swallows him. He is probably half-drowned, maybe half-conscious. Later, he maybe regains consciousness. We know he is in the fish’s belly – does he?
Remember, he asked to be thrown into a raging sea as punishment. What was he expecting, in the open waters of a major sea, the Mediterranean – don’t you think he expected to die? So, when he gains consciousness, he looks around – darkness. He reaches out his hand – wet, clammy, maybe kind of acidic. He takes a deep breath – Ugh. Not a good idea. Where did Jonah think he was? He thought he was in hell. He doesn’t say I cried to God out of the fish’s belly – he says he cried to God out of hell.
It’s a Wonder He Prayed at All
So maybe it’s a wonder, not that he took so long to pray, but that he prayed at all – because what prayer can get you out of hell? There is such a prayer, a prayer that must be prayed now, not after you find yourself in hell. Jonah gives it to us. “I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, and He answered me. Salvation is of the Lord.” Cry out to God to save you from your sins. Cry out to Jesus, who died to take the penalty for your sins.
Do you remember a time when you cried out to God? Contact us at HopeStreamRadio, or comment below.
Brian Stapley
Brian Stapley is the husband of Margaret and “Christian-proud” father of Tabitha, Ben, Jeremy and Joel. He has been director of the Boys JIM Club of America since 1981 and a “JIM Clubber” since 1958, the year he became a Christian. The mission statement of the JIM Club is, “Discipling boys to love Jesus deeply and express him vividly.”
He has been an educator since 1970, primarily as a high school English Teacher. (Don’t dangle your participles.) He has been in fellowship at Scottlea Gospel Chapel, St. Catharines, since 1976 and travels to preach about three dozen times a year, in Ontario and New York State. He is a ventriloquist, in company with Casey, Theodore, Dodo, Grumpa, and a menagerie of others. Also, a bit of a magician.
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