THE POWER OF PRAYER
Jonah 2:1-10
WHEN IN TROUBLE CALL ON GOD
V:1-2. "From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord
his God.
2 He said: "In my distress I called to the Lord, and he
answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened
to my cry. "
A. Prayer is the only way to communicate with God.
1. Jonah spent
three days and three nights inside the body of a large fish
because of his
disobedience to God.
2. Instead of
death, God gave Jonah mercy.
3. Our God is all
merciful, who chastises those He loves.
B. God gave Jonah time to think about the value of his
relationship with Him.
1. God gave Jonah
time to reflect and repent.
2. Even in our
sin, God take care of those He loves.
3. The great fish prepared
by God was just a holding tank for Jonah's
prayer of
repentance.
C. God, sometimes will put us in a state of distress to
bring us to Him in
prayer.
1. God made Jonah
realize his state of helplessness and his need for prayer.
2. God is always available to hear our
prayers.
3. The
prerequisite to getting our prayers answered is repentance
followed by a request for forgiveness.
SUFFERING THE CONSEQUENCES OF DISOBEDIENCE
V:3-4. " You hurled me into the deep, into the very
heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and
breakers swept over me.
4 I said, 'I have been banished from your sight; yet I will
look again toward your holy temple."
A. It is good for us to recognize the chastisement of the Lord
when it occurs in our lives.
1. It is important
that we don't blame anyone for our circumstances.
2. It is also
important that we give God praise for correcting us.
B. We must recognize that sin breaks our fellowship with
Lord.
1. Jonah was
separated from the Lord in the belly of the fish.
2. Although
separated from the Lord, he was still under God's care.
3. Although
separated from the Lord, he remembered the Lord's goodness.
4. Jonah called on
the Lord with a repentant heart.
5. Jonah acknowledged
the holiness of God could only be approached through an
act of
forgiveness.
IN OUR DARKEST TIMES, GOD DOES NOT ABANDON US
V:5-6. " The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped
around my head.
6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth
beneath barred me in forever. But you brought my life up from the pit, O Lord
my God."
A. Sin is a downward spiral toward hell.
1. Sin puts us in
a state of hopelessness and helplessness.
2. Sin puts us in
a state of darkness separated from the light of the Father.
B. Even in our sins, God want let us forget that He exist.
1. Even in our
worst situation, God gives us the will to call on Him.
2. Even in our
worst situations, God gives us the present of mind to know that He is
our help.
3. Jonah was the
cause of God's wrath toward Him, but God was also His deliverance.
ALWAYS BE MINDFUL OF THE LORD
V:7-8 "When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord,
and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple."
V:8. "Those who
cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs."
A. The blessing of God always abound in the lives of God's
elect.
1. It is a
blessing to know your sins and then know you can call on God for help.
2. The Lord's help
is just a prayer away.
3. Even in our
worst condition, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
4. A believer is
never out of options.
5. There is no end
to what God will do for those who are part of the household
of faith.
B. Since the world
don't know God, they are in a state of hopelessness when all
their efforts
fail.
1. The world depends on their strength and
their resources to solve problems.
2. The world ignores
the power and the authority of the almighty God.
3. The world, in
their ignorance refuses the grace of God which could be
theirs by
faith in Him.
PRAISE THE LORD IN GOOD TIMES AND BAD TIMES
V:9. " But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will
sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the
Lord."
A. When Jonah came to his right mind, he recognized God in
the midst of his
sorrowful
situation.
1. He admitted his
sins with a prayer of repentance.
2. I imagined,
Jonah in the darkness of the fish, saw God in all His glories.
B. Jonah offered to God a song of thanksgiving.
1. Jonah promise
to make sacrifices to the Lord.
2. He made a vow
to God, to do the right thing.
3. He recognized
that his salvation came from the Lord.
C. It is good for us to remember that God loves us enough to
forgive.
1. God wants us to
be in fellowship with Him.
2. We should
always be thankful that God is always mindful of us.
GOD WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU
V:10. " And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited
Jonah onto dry land."
A. Once Jonah made
peace with Lord, he was delivered from His situation.
1. God prepare
the fish as a holding tank, until Jonah change his mind and
decided to
follow God.
2. Our
disobedience does not please God.
3. God has a way
of getting our attention.
B. God is in control
of us and the situation we are in.
1. God caused
the waves around the ship to be violent enough for
the men on
the ship to throw Jonah over board.
2. God commanded
the fish to stand by the ship and swallow Jonah as he was thrown
over board.
3. God stopped
the digestive process of the fish long enough for Jonah
to get right
with Him.
4. God commanded
the fish to come close to land spit Jonah out unharmed.
C. What we can learn
from this text is that God knows what is best for us.
1. We must
conclude that we cannot fight against the will of God.
2. We must
conclude that it is the will of God for us to proclaim the Word
of God to
others.
3. We must
conclude that our dislike for someone is not an excuse to disobey God.
4. We all part of
one big family God puts together as He please.
5. God uses our
testimony of Him to bring the family together,
THANK GOD FOR BEING IN CONTROL OF US.
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