Jonah has been in the belly of the great fish for three days. What a horrid place to be for three days and three nights in complete darkness with nothing but your own thoughts. I know for me, when I dwell on my own thoughts, I can justify most of my actions or beat myself up over things I have said. Jonah had opportunity after opportunity to follow God and travel to Nineveh. Instead Jonah chose to follow his own path and wound up in this impossible situation. It is so easy for me to look at Jonah and think, “How hardheaded does he have to be to not see all the times he willfully disobeyed God?” Then Jonah goes to God in prayer saying,
I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried and you heard me voice.
Jonah 2:2
This prayer is not one of affection but one of affliction. He had exhausted all other possibilities of running from God and was in an impossible situation that he was not able to get out of himself. Even though Jonah had run, God was still faithful to forgive him when he repented and humbled himself before God. How many times are we disobedient to God and only turn to Him for our rescue after we are so deep in a situation that we cannot get ourselves out? Why do we run so hard from the will of God and think that we know what is best? I am thankful that each time I repent, God is faithful to forgive me. Where are areas of your life that you are running from God and need to repent and follow God’s plan instead of your own?
VC Devotionals 