Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish (Jonah 2:1).
God disciplines those he loves. Jonah experienced this firsthand, when he was swallowed up by a whale. There will be times when we run from God’s will for our life, he will stop us in our tracks. And when he does that, we can learn a priceless lesson from Jonah’s response. Can you guess what it was?
He prayed. Because prayer has a way of not only changing a bad situation, but the Spirit begins to change our hearts in that moment.
Jonah called out to God in the belly of that big fish. And while he was wrestling in prayer with God, he started to realize his disobedience. His rock hard heart began to soften up, and he acknowledged his sin.
It’s been said that if you understand your problem, then you’re 80% of the way to experiencing change. For Jonah, this realization occurred throughout three dark nights, but while in prayer. He remembered God’s mercy and grace, and praised him, and made his vows to trust and obey the LORD his God.
The journey of repentance take place through the activity of prayer. So don’t underestimate what the Spirit can do, when you draw near to God and sincerely open up your heart to him.
So has the Lord stopped you in your tracks? Has he made something swallow you? Maybe God is using your difficult situation to get your attention and focus on what truly matters. If this is the case, pray! Call out to God and acknowledge where there is sin in your heart. Then receive his mercy, and walk in the new direction he has for your life.