Jonah 2:1-10 (NRSV)
Read Jonah 2:1-10 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 2Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, Verse 2saying, "I called to the Lord out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. Verse 3You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. Verse 4Then I said, 'I am driven away from your sight; how shall I look again upon your holy temple?' Verse 5The waters closed in over me; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped around my head Verse 6at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the Pit, O Lord my God. Verse 7As my life was ebbing away, I remembered the Lord; and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. Verse 8Those who worship vain idols forsake their true loyalty. Verse 9But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Deliverance belongs to the Lord!"
Verse 10Then the Lord spoke to the fish, and it spewed Jonah out upon the dry land.
Devotion
Jonah is in a bad place, inside the belly of a big fish. While still there, he sings a song of thanksgiving for deliverance. At first, that may seem odd. But remember, it is the fish that saved him from drowning. Since he is still alive, he can praise God with the confidence that God will complete the saving act by delivering him to dry land. He has seen a glimmer of God’s salvation and he knows more will come. Jonah is much like us as we work our way through Lent.
Prayer
Dear God, save us from drowning in the storms of life. Keep us safe till we reach the shore. Amen.