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This Sunday we talked about how Jonah experienced the grace of God in the form of loving discipline. Jonah 1:17 says, “And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.” What looked like destruction for Jonah was actually a lifesaver. God’s grace isn’t always in the form of something warm and fuzzy, sometimes it looks like the complete opposite of that. Grace is a gift that we don’t deserve. God’s grace for Jonah was a big ole slimey fish in the middle of the ocean. The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 that we are to “give thanks in all circumstances”. Let’s see how that played out in the story of Jonah…

Jonah 2:1-3, “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. For you had case me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the current engulfed me. All Your breakers and billows passed over me.’”

Let’s focus in on first 1… “Then Jonah prayed..” Why did he wait to pray? Why did it take being swallowed by a fish to wake Jonah up? There is a difference between reactive prayer and proactive prayer. Jonah could’ve been proactive and asked the Lord for strength to do what God had called him to do in the very beginning. Instead, he waited until his hour of distress to cry out to God.

“So I said, ‘I have been expelled from Your sight. Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple.’ Water encompassed me to the point of death. The great deep engulfed me, Weeds were wrapped around my head. I descended to the roots of the mountains. The earth with its bars was around me forever, But You have brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God. While I was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, And my prayer came to You, Into Your holy temple. Those who regard vain idols Forsake their faithfulness, but I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the LORD.'”  (Jonah 2:4-9)

The Lord’s discipline was Jonah’s deliverance! How good is it to know that even when we get ourselves into the biggest messes, God still cares for His children. He still is faithful to hear our cries and forgive our sins. In times when we’re reactive and in times when we’re proactive, God is waiting with open arms!

POINTS TO PONDER:

1. Would you consider your prayers reactive or proactive?

2. Have you ever viewed God’s discipline as a form of His grace and mercy?

3. What is one thing you can do this week to get to know God better?

Check out the full sermons: