Today's Video Devotion

Monday 10/21/24

The Power of Prayer

📺️ Jonah 2 🔊

¹Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly,

 ²And 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.

 ³For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.

 ⁴Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.

 ⁵The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.

 ⁶I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.

 ⁷When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.

 ⁸They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.

 ⁹But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.

 ¹⁰And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

Written By: God through Inspiration

Penned By: Jonah

Date Penned: BC 785-760

Overview: Jonah's calling shows God's Sovereignty (c 1-4)

Theme: Jonah Forsakes His Mission (c 1-2)

Message: Jonah Prays Inside a Fish (v 1-17)

Jonah 2 Commentary

(2:1) Thanksgiving - This is a prayer of thanksgiving, not a prayer for deliverance. Jonah was simply thankful that he had not been drowned. He was delivered in a most spectacular way and was overwhelmed that he had escaped certain death. Even from inside the fish. Jonah's prayer was heard by God. We can pray anywhere and anytime and the Lord will hear us. Your sin is never too great or difficult for God.

(2:2-7) Taking God for Granted - Jonah said "When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord" Often we act the same way. When life is going well we tend to take God for granted, but when we lose hope, we cry out to him. This kind of relationship with God can result only in an inconsistent, up and down spiritual life. A consistent, daily commitment to the Lord promotes a solid relationship with Him. Look to the Lord during both the good and bad times, and you will have a stronger spiritual life. 

(2:8) False Gods - Those who worship false gods are abandoning any hope for mercy from the Lord. Any object of our devotion that replaces God is a lying vanity. We deceive ourselves with something that is ultimately empty and foolish. Make sure that nothing takes God's rightful place in your life. 

(2:9) Bargaining with God - Jonah was obviously not in a position to bargain with God. Instead, he simply thanked the Lord for saving his life. Our troubles should cause us to cling tightly to God, not make an attempt at bargaining our way out of the pain. We can thank him and praise him for what he has already done for us, and for his love and mercy. It took a miracle of deliverance to get Jonah to do as God had commanded. As a prophet, he was obligated to obey God's Word, but he had tried to escape his responsibilities. He now pledged to keep his vows. Jonah's story began with a tragedy, but a greater tragedy would have happened if God had allowed him to keep running, When you know God wants you to do something, don't run, you cannot outrun the Lord.

Each day, we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter, making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today, we continue with the book of Jonah with Chapter 2. In our text today, we see Jonah in the belly of the great fish as he repents and prays to see God do a miracle and have the fish vomit him up as God answers his prayer. In applying, we see the power of prayer demonstrated as God hears and responds to our prayers. Today, we have this incredible opportunity to have the God who created and controls the universe hear and respond to us for all things in our lives if we simply pray to the Lord. How about you? Do you pray? Let us learn from our text today and the life of Jonah to remember that our Lord is listening, cares about us, and is willing to respond in our lives if we simply pray. .