A Whale of a Prayer

Nº 397

Let us labor to memorize the Word of God-for worship and for warfare. If we do not carry it in our heads, we cannot savor it in our hearts or wield it in the Spirit. - John Piper

Jonah’s adventure is one of the best-known stories in the Bible. God commanded Jonah to preach in Nineveh. Instead, he headed in the opposite direction and set sail across the Mediterranean Ocean. There, a severe storm nearly swamped his ship. The sailors discovered that Jonah’s disobedience had caused the storm and reluctantly tossed him into the briny depths.

Spoiler Alert - once in the water, Jonah was swallowed by a whale. The seasick whale eventually vomited Jonah onto the shore, and God gave Jonah a second chance.

Often overlooked is what happened during those three days in the whale’s gastric juices. Jonah pulled out his Bible and read. No! Jonah pulled out his cellphone and scrolled to his favorite Bible app. No! During the long, dark, terrifying days in the belly of the whale, Jonah turned to the best resource available – the scripture he had memorized.

His prayer is a collection of phrases recalled from psalms and other passages. One of the clearest, simplest, and most profound phrases is, In my distress I called to the Lord ... (Jonah 2:2 and Psalm 18:6)

Memorize those eight words. And rely on the God of second chances when you face the distressing and dangerous perils of life.

Excelsior,

Dan Bolin