When God sends Jonah to Nineveh, Jonah comes up with a plan of his own. Going in a completely different direction, Jonah seeks passage on a ship bound for Tarshish. There is a great storm, and eventually Jonah is thrown into the sea. At this point in the story, the storm stops - and Scripture tells us that "God provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights" (Jonah 1:17).
What fascinates me this evening is what happens during those three days and three nights.
What fascinates me this evening is what happens during those three days and three nights.
We are told that inside the fish, Jonah prays to the Lord his God. And this is part of what he prays:
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.
You brought my life up from the pit,
O Lord my God.
Salvation comes from the Lord.
(Jonah 2:2, 6, and 9)
and he answered me.
From the depths of the grave
I called for help,
and you listened to my cry.
You brought my life up from the pit,
O Lord my God.
Salvation comes from the Lord.
(Jonah 2:2, 6, and 9)
I don't think I had ever noticed it before - the verb tenses of Jonah's prayer. It's important to remember that, when Jonah prays this prayer, he has not yet been saved. The rescue that we read about in verse 10 has not happened yet. Even so, this is what Jonah prays: the Lord answered me, the Lord listened to my cry, the Lord brought my life up from the pit, salvation comes from the Lord.
Now I understand that Jonah probably sees this great fish as his salvation from the sea - but it's only a partial salvation at best. Jonah is still in terrible danger; his life is at risk. What is happening to him in this moment in the story is a completely new experience; he has never been swallowed by a fish before. Technically, he is not in the sea any longer - but he could easily die in the belly of this fish.
And yet, in this present moment of danger, Jonah prays in the past tense - as if his salvation has already happened. Instead of saying that the Lord WILL answer him, Jonah says, "The Lord HAS answered me." Instead of saying that God WILL listen to his cry, Jonah says, "The Lord HAS listened to my cry." Instead of saying that God WILL bring him up from the pit, Jonah says, "The Lord HAS already brought me up from the pit."
I think the verb tense of Jonah's prayer is significant. God's promises are so sure, his character is so consistent, his behavior is so steady - that when we trust in him, it is AS IF his rescue has already happened, even if we find ourselves still waiting for it! Even if we haven't seen it happen yet, it is as good as done.
What that means is that I don't need to wait until after the rescue to praise God. I can praise God for what he hasn't done yet - because I know that he will be true to his word. It's great to come through a storm and then to praise God for what he has done. But it's even better to praise God while the storm continues! Not just "I'll praise him when this is over," but "I praise him right now even as my storm continues."
I had never noticed the verb tenses in Jonah's prayer before - but they tell us something important. Here, Jonah teaches us how to pray inside the fish. Jonah teaches us how to pray when we haven't been completely rescued yet.
It could be that you feel like you're thrashing around in the sea - just seconds away from drowning. Or you might feel like you're inside the fish. No matter. Pray as if the rescue has already happened.
Salvation comes from the Lord. That's easy to see after the rescue has taken place. But God's people know it to be true even when they're waiting for him to show up.
Now I understand that Jonah probably sees this great fish as his salvation from the sea - but it's only a partial salvation at best. Jonah is still in terrible danger; his life is at risk. What is happening to him in this moment in the story is a completely new experience; he has never been swallowed by a fish before. Technically, he is not in the sea any longer - but he could easily die in the belly of this fish.
And yet, in this present moment of danger, Jonah prays in the past tense - as if his salvation has already happened. Instead of saying that the Lord WILL answer him, Jonah says, "The Lord HAS answered me." Instead of saying that God WILL listen to his cry, Jonah says, "The Lord HAS listened to my cry." Instead of saying that God WILL bring him up from the pit, Jonah says, "The Lord HAS already brought me up from the pit."
I think the verb tense of Jonah's prayer is significant. God's promises are so sure, his character is so consistent, his behavior is so steady - that when we trust in him, it is AS IF his rescue has already happened, even if we find ourselves still waiting for it! Even if we haven't seen it happen yet, it is as good as done.
What that means is that I don't need to wait until after the rescue to praise God. I can praise God for what he hasn't done yet - because I know that he will be true to his word. It's great to come through a storm and then to praise God for what he has done. But it's even better to praise God while the storm continues! Not just "I'll praise him when this is over," but "I praise him right now even as my storm continues."
I had never noticed the verb tenses in Jonah's prayer before - but they tell us something important. Here, Jonah teaches us how to pray inside the fish. Jonah teaches us how to pray when we haven't been completely rescued yet.
It could be that you feel like you're thrashing around in the sea - just seconds away from drowning. Or you might feel like you're inside the fish. No matter. Pray as if the rescue has already happened.
Salvation comes from the Lord. That's easy to see after the rescue has taken place. But God's people know it to be true even when they're waiting for him to show up.