As I write this week’s note to you I have just returned from visiting our dear sister in Christ, Jessie. It is always a joy sitting with people who have walked with the Lord a lifetime. There is a richness in their understanding of who God is and what He has done, continues to do and will do! As we reminisced about special times in our lives it was humbling to see God’s hand at work in just about every sector of our lives. I read Jonah’s prayer to Jessie and her face lit up. She said to me in no uncertain terms, “Preach this to the people, Pastor, and have them understand how great our God is!” It is a special time together reflecting on our God who is the same God whom Jonah called out to in the belly of a whale!
Last week I shared with you two survival tools we can gain from Jonah and his prayer. The first tool is to call out to the Lord in prayer. How many times a day we fail to do this! If only I called out to Him and shared with Him the challenges I face! The second tool was the importance of realising your sin, acknowledging it and repenting from it. This Jonah did as he realised that the situation he was in was because of his disobedience. I can only urge you to confess your sins of commission and omission and ask for forgiveness. We have such an amazing and loving God who is slow to anger, patient, forgiving, gracious and loving.
Jonah’s prayer is simply marvellous and has been likened to a Psalm of praise and thanksgiving. This week we identity two more tools for use when we are trying to survive living in a world that is so foreign to us. The third tool is the absolute importance of remembering the Lord’s greatness. He is the all-powerful Creator God. He is Sovereign and continues to rule over all and everything. Jonah knew this and this is why he called out to God. The fourth tool for survival is one that concerns our passion for the Lord. As Jonah prayed a transformation came over him and he became very passionate about his God. If we are passionate about our Lord we will have an intense desire for Him; we will have ‘full-on’ affection for Him and we will have compelling emotion toward Him.