In the last verse of chapter 1 Jonah has just
been tossed into the sea. Both the
sailors on whose boat Jonah had looked to run away from God and Jonah himself
probably thought this was the end for him.
You don’t get chucked in to the sea in this kind of circumstance and
survive. The sailors have recognised the
place and the power of God and prayed to him.
Their part in this story is ended and so, we would think, is
Jonah’s. But is it? Chapter 1, verse 17 – The Lord ordained that a great fish should swallow Jonah, and he
remained in its belly for three days and three nights.
The sailors think it is the end for Jonah. They have thrown him overboard and, in their
view, it is inevitable that he will drown.
That is what happens to people who get lost overboard in the middle of
the sea. The sailors, as they leave the
story, can be seen worshipping God. They
have seen what God can do and have abandoned their old gods to worship
him. Jonah has pointed them in the right
direction, whether or not he meant to, whether or not he wanted to. They are probably still not entirely happy
about having thrown Jonah overboard. It
is rather a blot on their professional reputation. But it needed to be done – and not only has
it solved their immediate problem and led to the calming of the storm, but it
has pointed them in a new faith direction.
They have discovered Jonah’s God and they are worshipping him.
God is, doubtless, glad to receive the worship
of these sailors. But God is still
looking after Jonah. Jonah tried to
abandon God, but God has not abandoned Jonah.
However, Jonah is not really happy about what is happening to him now
and, in fairness, that is not entirely surprising. This is a traumatic experience, to say the
least. As one commentator says, “Jonah
now plumbs the depths of just about everything.”[1]
God called Jonah. God sent the storm. Now God acts again, this time sending a large
fish to carry out a rescue operation.
Traditionally the story has become known as that of Jonah and the
whale. The whale has become the defining
mark of the story. In actual fact, the
Bible doesn’t say that it was a whale.
It simply refers to a ‘big fish’.
But, as with a number of other things in this story, it really doesn’t
matter. What matters is what happens –
not exactly what type of creature is the agent of God’s intervention. What matters is that God intervenes and, as
so often, transforms the situation. What matters is that this is not the end
for Jonah.
One obvious question is the one about whether
this really happened. It all seems a bit
improbable. Could Jonah really have been
swallowed by a large fish – and survived?
Could he really have survived three days and nights in the belly of a
large fish? I am going to duck the
question and say that I think it doesn’t really matter. This is not a story about establishing some
amazing and interesting scientific fact about human survival in such
circumstances. This is a story about God
looking after one of his people. That is
what matters for me. If God happened to
take care of Jonah by putting him inside a great fish for 72 hours, then that’s
fine. God is great, and I am sure that
God could have done that. But if, on the
other hand, the story is just a very pictorial way of saying that God rescued
and looked after Jonah, then that is equally fine. There are certainly no other known instances
of something like this. But there are
plenty of instances of God looking after someone who he has called to undertake
some special task for him. That is what
is happening here. It is good for us to
know that, when God calls us to some particular task or role, we can be sure that
he will be looking after us.
It is interesting that, up to this point in
this story, we find some surprising responses to the call of God. The prophet, who you would expect to respond
positively, turns his back on God.
However, the sailors, who know nothing of God, end up worshipping
him. And now, even this big fish works on
God’s behalf. As one commentator says,
and this is interesting: “Jonah is a powerful image of our resistance to
God. At first sight, being devoured by
the great fish could appear to be a punishment.
After all, what kind of God would tolerate such open opposition? But the narrator twinkles with humour, for
this great fish was actually appointed by God as part of his rescue
operation. Unlike Jonah, the gigantic
fish meekly obeys the call of its Creator.”[2]
As Jonah finds himself in the belly of the
fish, what does he do? What would you
do? He prays. The prophet, who in terms of his physical
life, has been running away from God, now, in terms of his spiritual life, does
a complete about-turn and turns to God.
Jonah now is desperate – and there is only one place to look, and that
is to God. One of the mistakes that too
many people make with prayer is that they only turn to it when desperate. There is nothing wrong with turning to prayer
when you are desperate. Indeed, it makes
an awful lot of sense – and I commend it.
But we do so much better if we allow prayer to be the basis of our life
at all times.
Most of the second chapter of Jonah offers us
his prayer from the fish’s belly. This
chapter consists of ten verses, and verses 2 to 9 give the prayer, sometimes
also described as a psalm. Verse 1
simply records the fact that Jonah prayed to God from the fish’s belly – from the fish’s belly Jonah offered this
prayer to the Lord his God.
Prayer is how we communicate with God. It takes a range of forms. It can have a range of content. Sometimes we are thanking God. Sometimes we are saying sorry. Sometimes we are praying for others. On some occasions we are asking God for
help. Prayer is worship. Sometimes in prayer we are silent or
meditating. Prayer certainly gives us the
opportunity to say things to God, and God is always glad to hear what we have
to say to him – even if it is a matter of our complaining or expressing our
distress to God. However, we also need
to allow God the opportunity to speak to us in prayer. Prayer is not a matter of us giving God a lecture
or preaching a sermon to him. A better
description of prayer would be to refer it as a conversation – and a
conversation that is one-way, that has only one participant, is not really a
conversation.
Before we return to Jonah 2, let’s pursue our
thinking about prayer a little. First, I
want to explore a couple of things that Richard Foster says. Foster says: “we assume prayer is something
to master the way we master algebra or motor mechanics.”[3] What Foster is suggesting here is that we
think of prayer as a task to tackle.
And, of course, it doesn’t work like that. Prayer is about an encounter. Prayer is about a relationship. Prayer is, as we have said,
conversation. It is not something to
approach in a technical way, as we might, when we are learning some particular
skill. It is something to get on with
doing. Some people are great
conversationalists, but being good at conversing is not really a skill to
master. It is simply something you
do. Equally, there are those who are
good pray-ers. But you don’t get there
by studying a manual. You get there by
doing it, by praying. As Foster also
says, though this is not my other quote – “Simple Prayer involves ordinary
people bringing ordinary concerns to a loving and compassionate Father.”[4]
Foster also says, and this is the other point
that I want to explore very briefly, “.. we all come to prayer with a tangled
mass of motives .. but .. God is big enough to receive us with all our
mixture.”[5] The point here is that all sorts of things
can bring us to prayer. Some of the
reasons will be good, and some may not be so good. But God is more than able to cope with us,
whatever our motives. Sometimes we might
get concerned that we are not approaching God in the right way. We might think that we are not getting in to
the right frame of mind before coming to prayer. Now, of course, it is good to approach God in
the right way. It is good to be in the
right frame of mind. But it is important
to remember that God is always ready to engage with us just as we are. Far better to engage in a messy time of
prayer than not to pray at all. God
knows that our lives are a mix of things and that we find ourselves caught up
in a range of emotions.
As we turn to Jonah’s prayer, or psalm, in
verses 2 to 9 of chapter 2, perhaps the first thing to say is that this takes
us into a different style of writing. Up
to this point we are being told a story and the recorder, or writer, uses a
narrative style. The prayer, however, is
closer to poetry. This is not just a
simple continuation of the narrative.
This part of the book provides a means by which Jonah reflects with God
on what has been happening to him. The
psalm uses vivid language to depict Jonah’s experience, and indeed much of the
language draws on the book of Psalms.
So what of Jonah’s prayer? What is it that he is saying to God? And what can we draw from this particular
passage? In asking that kind of
question, I want to suggest that the first thing that strikes me is the
intensity of feeling on Jonah’s part.
This is Jonah in distress. In his
anguish Jonah turns to God. In my
distress I called to the Lord. We
have already noted how Jonah was plumbing the depths at this point. In our comments on prayer we have also noted
that we can come to God just as we are.
Jonah doesn’t need to pretend. He
doesn’t need to make anything up. He
simply cries out to God. In his book “Seek My Face”, William Barry, a Roman
Catholic writer on spirituality, explores this question of the importance of
our not pretending before God, but coming to him just as we are and looking for
that which we need. Barry points out
that we need to want to get close to God but, given that we have got to that
point, we can be sure that God is ready to be close to us and to help us with
all the resources that we need for living.
How does this work? How might it
feel? One parallel that Barry suggests
is with a reference to certain experiences we may have – “do they not leave us
recalling that our hearts burned within us as did the hearts of the two
disciples who met the risen Lord on the road to Emmaus.” (p. 13).
He goes on to cite the example of Moses in the desert and God covering
Moses with his hand so that Moses could, as he has requested, be in the
presence of the glory of God – Exodus 33:12-23.
The Bible has many marvellous stories of how God’s presence affected the
life of particular individuals. So does
history – and so it can be for us. “If
God was pleased with Abraham’s growing trust, perhaps he will be equally
pleased with our fumbling efforts.” (p.
22). One of the big questions is as to
how ready we are to hear God when he speaks to us – “What we need to develop is
a contemplative attitude that learns how to notice God when he speaks into our
personal lives.” (p. 29).
In another part of the book Barry explores the
question of the forgiveness of sins and links this to some of Peter’s
experiences, specifically the encounter with Jesus following the breakfast on
the shore recorded in John 21 – “The text seems to say that Peter is able to
affirm his love for Jesus even though he knows that Jesus knows him inside out,
knows all his flaws and weaknesses.”
Barry adds: “People who use this text for prayer and put themselves in
the shoes of Peter experience Jesus as overpoweringly forgiving. Moreover, Jesus not only forgives Peter, but
also asks him to take care of Jesus’ flock.
Peter is brought back into intimacy with interest to spare.”
What a great story of God’s overwhelming
love! And that is how it is. These are the possibilities of prayer that
are there for us just as much as they were for Jonah or Jesus’ first disciples
and we need, as Jesus did, to recognise the crucial role that prayer has to
play in our lives. Prayer has big
possibilities – and it is there for all of us.
How can we not make the most of it!
So far we have just mentioned the first few
words of Jonah’s psalm – but these really sum up much of what follows. However, there is a little, but vital, phrase
that is in there before Jonah goes on to reinforce his statement of distress. We have noted the first few words of verse 2
– in my distress I called to the Lord
– but the immediate response to that statement, which is also part of what
Jonah says, is that he goes on to comment – and
he answered me.
Jonah is desperate. So would we be if we were in Jonah’s
situation at this moment. But even in
his anguished desperation, Jonah recognises that God is with him. Jonah realises that God is there for him –
and so he can say and he answered me. It makes sense to pray when we are in
extremely difficult situations. What
better response could we make and, as one of the commentators points out: “the
great wonder of this kind of prayer is that our Lord, in his great love towards
us, condescends to deliver us out of our frequently self-inflicted mess. Here is a God more willing to hear than we
are to pray, a God who knows the words on our lips before we speak them, but
who longs for us to speak them so that we may know he has heard our prayer.”[6]
It is important for us to note what this little
statement says about Jonah. If we ask
the question as to what Jonah is like we might the mistake of not seeing a
broad and balanced perspective. This is
an important point for us as it helps us to realise that everyone, including
each one of us, has a range of views and characteristics. There are good things to say about all of us
and, if we are honest, there are also bad things to say about each of us. We may say of Jonah: “Some descriptions of
Jonah have been almost exclusively negative.
They have centred on his flight, his disobedience of the call to be
God’s messenger, his anger at the conversion of Nineveh, and his obstinacy in
the face of God’s questioning. These
elements should not be discounted, but such a characterisation is much too
one-sided.”[7] There are positive elements also. Jonah, though disobedient, is a believer in
God. He prays, and, in praying, recognises
God’s answering. We can say in Jonah’s
favour that he tells it as it is. He is
not dishonest or hypocritical. He comes
to God in prayer and talks about what is going on for him – and that is a good
way of praying.
The next little section offers a description of
his distress. Here is Jonah talking
about his experience after being thrown overboard. This has, of course, not been a great deal of
fun. He talks about being cast into the depths. He talks about the surging waves. He talks
about the deep closing over me.
But then, as he comes towards the end of the
prayer, he again focuses on what God can do for him. The latter part of verse 6 – But you brought me up, Lord my God, alive
from the pit. The pit is the place
where one goes at death. This is an
expression of God’s deliverance. And
that is what God does. God is a God of
salvation, of deliverance, of liberation.
God is a God of opportunity, and of possibility.
Jonah goes on to say more about what God has
done for him. Verse 7 – as my senses failed I remembered the Lord,
and my prayer reached you in your holy temple. This is a vivid picture, Jonah talking about
his senses failing. We can imagine Jonah
thinking ‘this is it’, and yet he turns to God.
Yet he prays. Here is a reminder to
pray in all circumstances. Here is a
reminder to turn to God, no matter what is happening to and around us. This phrase I remembered the Lord is key.
Here is a good piece of advice in any situation. In the UK a little while ago it was common
for young Christians to wear bracelets with the letters WWJD. The letters stood for the question – what
would Jesus do? That is another way of
approaching what Jonah is indicating here.
Whatever situation in which we find ourselves, we might like to ask that
question – what would Jesus do? And
reflecting on that question may sometimes help us in making right
decisions. I remembered the Lord. When I wasn’t sure what to do, I remembered
the Lord. When I felt really down, I
remembered the Lord. When I was facing a
major challenge, I remembered the Lord.
When everything was going wonderfully well, I remembered the Lord. In all circumstances, let us remember the
Lord. It doesn’t always mean that we
will make the right decisions – because, even alongside our remembering, we
will sometimes get things wrong. But it
will always help us towards the right direction.
We might also just say something about the
latter part of this verse – and my prayer
reached you in your temple. Our
prayers will never be in vain. God is
always eagerly listening to what we have to say to him. There will be times when our prayers are not
what they should be – but that doesn’t mean that God discards or ignores or,
worse still, rejects them. God wants to
hear what we have to say, even when it is not what it should be. Our prayers will always reach God.
Jonah then says something about those who are
following false gods. That’s in verse 8
– those who cling to false gods may
abandon their loyalty. The prayer is
essentially something between God and Jonah.
That is what personal prayer is.
It is a question of you or I engaging with God, and no one else is
involved. It is not the only kind of
prayer. We also have communal prayer in
which we, as a group, share prayer – and though it may be one person who says
the words the prayer is something in which we all share. Both personal prayer and communal prayer can
take a variety of forms. For instance,
in personal prayer I might simply be quiet before God. Or I might be quiet and consider a Scripture
passage. Or I might be telling God all
sorts of things. Or I might be asking
God to help all sorts of situations and various people. That is just some of the ways in which I
might engage in personal prayer. Equally
in communal prayer it might be that we all at the same time are silently, or
for that matter aloud, praying to God.
It might be in a service of worship where one person is leading the
prayers of the congregation. It might be
a prayer meeting where different people lead prayer as they are led by the
Spirit of God.
This particular statement in this prayer – those who cling to false gods may abandon
their loyalty – is really recognising that this is actually written down
for a wider audience. Some of those whom
the book addresses are putting their trust in some form of idol worship. They are thinking that answers for them are
to be found elsewhere than with God.
They are thus abandoning the God who rescued Jonah in such a dramatic
way. This is just a little reminder
that, in the end, that doesn’t work.
Then, as the prayer comes to its end, it moves
to thanksgiving and praise. Despite all
that Jonah has been through, that is where he ends up. Verse 9 – but
I with hymns of praise shall offer sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I shall
fulfil. Victory is the Lord’s. “Jonah’s prayer comes to an end with the vow to praise.[8] Now “As the sailors celebrated their
deliverance with sacrifice and vows, so Jonah promises to do the same.”[9] The final phrase of this verse Victory is the Lord’s, or ‘Deliverance
belongs to the Lord’ or ‘Salvation is of the Lord’ is a profoundly significant
comment. We may make all sorts of claims
about where we find salvation and about how involved we are with that or which
groups can influence it – but, in the end, what we really need to be saying is
that ‘salvation is of the Lord’ – no more and no less.
“The psalm showed how Jonah’s experience of
deliverance was an expression of the Lord’s unfailing mercy. He called to the Lord in his distress and the
Lord answered him. The Lord’s response
to the prophet’s call restored a broken relationship. The prophet’s action, spurred by his
realization that ultimately God was all he had, opened the door to new life and
fresh possibilities.”[10] How appropriate that the psalm ends on a note
of praise – and is this the first indication that the prophet is shifting his
ground? Jonah’s view, presumably, is
that God got it wrong. That is why he
set out for Tarshish, rather than Nineveh.
But now he is recognising what God has done for him. Here is a very different moment from that of
the beginning of the book. Here is a
very different response from Jonah to the one with which he started. Do we offer God praise as we ought? Are we ready to give him the place that we
ought?
Jonah has certainly changed his tune. Now he finds that God is ready to move him
on. Or should I put that another
way? Is it rather the case that God
recognises that Jonah is ready to be moved on?
I think that is a better way of putting it, and a reminder that God
works with us according to our readiness and capabilities. God doesn’t demand of us things that we just
can’t manage. God moves in to new
things, new callings, when we are ready for it.
Jonah was now ready for what was going to come
next, and so – verse 10 – The Lord
commanded the fish, and it spewed Jonah out on the dry land. This amazing story takes its next amazing
turn. Jonah is spat out on to the beach
by the great fish. “Jonah had been glad
to be off God’s map, and is now glad to be back on it, though still uneasy
about the directions it will indicate.”[11]
