In review of Jonah 2:1 I read, “From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God.” Jonah 2:1 (NIV)
Jonah's was a prayer of thanksgiving, not one of deliverance. He was simply happy that he had not drowned. No matter where I am, I can pray and God will hear me. My predicament is never too difficult for God. When life is going well, I tend to take God for granted; but when I lose hope, I cry out to him. This results in an inconsistent, up-and-down spiritual life. I need to look to God during both the good and bad times, and I will have a stronger spiritual life.
There are times when I’ve felt swallowed up by life. Being surrounded by depression, conflict, worry, or guilt, and I felt hopeless.
When faced with a hopeless situation, think about what Jonah did.
After Jonah had run from God’s mission for his life, God prepared a great fish to swallow him up. As he sat in that great fish, Jonah looked up to God.
In fact, the entire second chapter of this book is Jonah praying while he sinks into the ocean and gets swallowed by a giant fish. It’s a lesson for me that when I’m feeling overwhelmed, to also look up to God in prayer.
From the very first verse of the chapter, I can see Jonah turning to God: “From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God” (Jonah 2:1 NIV).
Some problems in life will never go away unless I learn to look to God in prayer.
In Mark 9, some of Jesus’ followers had been trying to drive a demon out of someone, but they couldn’t. They asked Jesus why. Jesus responded: “This kind can come out only by prayer” (Mark 9:29 NIV).
Some problems are so deeply rooted that only persistent prayer will solve them. It’s not just about just a one-time prayer, either. If I only care about something enough to pray about it once, I don’t really care about it. If I truly want to see something happen in my life, I will pray about it over and over.
God wants to see whether I want it desperately enough to keep on praying! He’s more interested in building my faith than he in answering every little prayer.
If I’m feeling hopeless, look up to God and keep praying. Never give up!
In summary, no matter where I am, I can pray and God will hear me. My predicament is never too difficult for Him. When life is going well, I tend to take God for granted; but when I lose hope, I cry out to him. This results in an inconsistent, up-and-down spiritual life. I need to look to God during both the good and bad times. When faced with a hopeless situation, think about what Jonah did. He looked up to God. It’s a lesson for me that when I’m feeling overwhelmed, to also look up to God in prayer. Some problems in life will never go away unless I learn to look to God in prayer. Some problems are so deeply rooted that only persistent prayer will solve them. It’s not just about just a one-time prayer, either. If I only care about something enough to pray about it once, I don’t really care about it. If I truly want to see something happen in my life, I will pray about it over and over. God wants to see whether I want it desperately enough to keep on praying! He’s more interested in building my faith than he in answering every little prayer. So learn to look up to God and keep praying. Never give up!
I need to always look up to God with whatever difficulty or stressful situation. I need to continually pray and allow God to build my faith in Him. As I face my work today and what’s above to happen, I just need to focus, clarify my request and keep praying, I should also be prepared that it may take time as I’m tested and prepared for his answer. I also pray for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership and my interactions with others. I ask these things in your Son Jesus’ name, Amen.
0 comments:
Post a Comment