Lesson #3: True deliverance is only from God
Last week we looked at the power of prayer and the consequences of disobedience. Now I want you to notice the fact that Jonah's salvation, his deliverance from the stomach of the fish, was made possible by God. Notice Jonah 2:10
"Then the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land."
What is significant about this is the fact that the fish acted upon the command of God, not of his own volition. God gave the command, demonstrating His power over all living things, and the fish released Jonah from the prison of his belly. This may seem like a simple truth, and it is, but the implications are weighty.
Can you imagine what it would have been like for Jonah to attempt his own escape? What would he have done? You can picture him maybe trying to crawl through the linings of the fish's stomach, desperately trying to get to the mouth, dodging and climbing over all manner of smaller fish, bones, and sea weed that the big fish may have swallowed along the way, forcefully wading through the water that the fish inhales every time he opens his mouth.
As reasonable as this may seem, the Bible gives us no indication that it ever crossed Jonah's mind. He simply sat there for three days, crying out to God, waiting for deliverance or death, whichever came first. Jonah realized the weight of his situation and also realized that God was the only one who could get him out of it. Jonah didn't try to escape because he knew the futility of that option.
How many times do we find ourselves in desperate situations, not unlike Jonah's, but instead of sitting and waiting for God, we try so hard to get ourselves out? I can admit that I have done the same thing. We get so overwhelmed by whatever trial we are facing and we try so frantically to rescue ourselves, only to find that we have gotten nowhere and, in fact, have lost more hope.
When will we learn to be more like Jonah and just sit and wait? If we believe in God, if we have a relationship with Him, if we know that He loves us, then why is it so hard to let Him rescue us, instead of trying to salvage ourselves? Like Jonah, we will either see deliverance or we will see death. But either way isn't it all deliverance in the end?
My encouragement for you today is to remember that God is with you, that He is always aware of your circumstances, and that He has promised to never forsake you. With that in mind and hidden in our hearts, we can take comfort through our trials, knowing that the God who delivered Jonah from his impossible situation WILL, in one way or another, deliver you too.
"Therefore, we do not lose heart...for momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison."
2 Corinthians 4:16-17
Your post was so good honey. It kinda went with my devotion this morning. The author was asking about relationships that we have and how we handle those relationships. She asked if we were fully dependent on God or if we relied to heavily on the relationships in our lives. That's what I realized. God is always here for me. He wants me to depend on Him - not on the people in my life. I need to fall on God and rest in His arms instead of in the arms of someone else that only gives momentary relief. Good Job John!!!
ReplyDeleteErin
I really enjoyed reading this!! I am so proud of you John! Everything you said makes perfect sense but so many times we try to take things into our own hands and "fix" things when what we need to do is just sit, be still and let God do what He has planned, just like Jonah did. I look forward to reading what else you have to say about your thought and input about the Bible. Love ya!!
ReplyDeleteStacie
How hard it can be at times to just wait...there has been times wen I find myself praying for Gods assistance...and saying I put it in Hus hands...but still trying to fix it. I believe God will carry me thru all that I conquer. Thank u for reminding me to sit and wait for Gods answer.
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