Advent is quickly passing and here we are on Day 12, halfway through our series on “Thanking Jesus.”
Most of us remember the story of Jonah and the whale. This prophet is a melancholic character who seems borderline depressed and even wishes he were dead three out of the four chapters in the book that bears his name. He does not strike us as the type of person who expresses thanks to God. Yet, in Jonah chapter 2, while he is still within the belly of the whale, Jonah prays to his God: “When I had lost all hope, I turned my thoughts once more to the Lord. . . . Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God’s mercies, but I will offer songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For salvation comes from the Lord alone.”
Stuck inside the belly of the whale, Jonah had no hope. No one – no friends, no sailors – could rescue him. And indeed not even one other person was there to hear Jonah’s song of praise! Nevertheless, he turns to his God and offers his praise to Him alone.
Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah on a beach, and it did.
Are you stuck alone in an impossible situation? Are circumstances far beyond your control? Have you lost hope? Why not follow Jonah’s example and turn back to God with praise and thanksgiving. Perhaps God will deliver you, and, like Jonah, you will find yourself once again on firm ground.
