Jonah 2 Part 1: Jonah Prays to God
Jonah 2:1-2; Romans 8:26-27 - God is already answering our prayers before we can even begin our pleas in our distress
“Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the stomach of the fish, and he said, “I called out of my distress to the Lord, And He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol; You heard my voice.”
Jonah 2:1-2 NASB1995
Jonah begins his incarceration in the belly of the sea creature by beginning to pray to God, referring to several snippets of psalms in his supplications. This course of action might have been wiser had it been pursued at the beginning, when God first gave Jonah His commands to go to Nineveh and preach repentance. Perhaps the storm, the tossing into the waters and the sea creature domain might have been avoided, or perhaps not. Jonah is not Jesus, who pleaded desperately in Gethsemane that this cup might be taken from Him, but knew that it was the Father’s will, not His.
But he realizes now that he is in quite a fix. By acknowledging immediately in his prayer that when he called out in distress to the Lord, the Lord answered him and heard his voice, he knew that God would answer prayer, even if Jonah didn’t know the answer at that time. He had faith that God would deliver him. Enduring Word has these comments on this passage (links go to the Blue Letter Bible):
Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the fish’s belly: Jonah was still in the belly of the fish but he knew it was enough that the LORD had heard his cry (You heard my voice). In faith, Jonah knew that he would be delivered.
Jonah knew God heard him before the answer came. This shows that Jonah had faith and that God can give total peace and assurance that prayer is answered, even before the actual answer comes.
I cried out to the LORD: In this and the rest of the chapter, Jonah’s prayer uses many phrases and figures of speech from the Psalms. This shows that Jonah was a man who knew God’s word, and knew it by heart because there was no Bible and no candle in the fish’s belly.
In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple. (Psalm 18:6)
Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; all Your waves and billows have gone over me. (Psalm 42:7)
For I said in my haste, “I am cut off from before Your eyes”; nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications when I cried out to You. (Psalm 31:22)
When you are in moments of great distress (it may be nothing like being fish food and not seeing a future at the moment or perhaps it is truly is distressful, but of a different nature), do you feel that God has already heard you in your distress? We can have assurance that God knows our and hears our cries even before we can utter them. That is a truly comforting idea! Also know that the Holy Spirit intervenes for us in these moments:
“In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
Romans 8:26-27 NASB1995
My next devotional examines Jonah 2:3-7, a continuation of the prayer from Jonah.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - When I am in distress, it gives me great comfort to know that you are already answering the prayers that have barely left my lips. The Holy Spirit intervenes for me with groans too deep for words. What great comfort we have in you, Lord! Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Commentary from Enduring Word by David Guzik is used with written permission.