Deep-Sea Prayer

Isn’t Jonah unbelievable? Referring to himself twenty-six times in an eight-verse prayer? How could anyone be that fixated on himself?

C’mon, let’s be honest. We can relate to prayers like that! I can, at least. It’s biblical, isn’t it? “Pour out your hearts to him,” the Psalmist David urged. But then he went on to add, “for God is our refuge” (Ps. 62:8 NIV).

That’s a very important addition, for the one thing can save our fishbelly prayers from becoming merely a time of venting, of self-expression, of self-fixated monologue, is to see God for Who He is. To recognize Him as loving and welcoming and immense and powerful and wise and the Rock in which we can always, always hide.

So by all means let’s keep pouring our hearts out to God. Let’s use “I,” “me,” myself” and “mine” twenty-six times if we need to. But let’s at some point pause and look around at our refuge, and really see where we are. We’re not just trapped in a crisis, surrounded by the disturbing sounds of ourselves being digested… we’re inside of God! He is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble, He never leaves us or forsakes us, He takes complete responsibility for us, He watches over all that concerns us, He is sovereign over circumstances, He has good plans for us and not evil ones, and He surrounds us on all sides with impenetrable protection and holds us there until deliverance comes. Whew! What a wonderful God He is, and how wonderful is His heart for us!

If Jonah had really, really looked at God, he might have dropped of few “I’s” and “me’s” and added some “Thee’s” and “Thou’s.” He might have seen how unlike God he was and torn his slimy robe in the anguish of genuine repentance for his rebellion. His heart might have been broken with compassion for the people of Nineveh, moving him to obey God out of desire rather than coercion. And it might have changed the way his story ends.

A fresh vision of God. It would have done Jonah a lot of good, and it won’t hurt us any, either.