Jonah 2:1-10 (NRSV)
Read Jonah 2:1-10 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 2Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, Verse 2saying, "I called to the Lord out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. Verse 3You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. Verse 4Then I said, 'I am driven away from your sight; how shall I look again upon your holy temple?' Verse 5The waters closed in over me; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped around my head Verse 6at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the Pit, O Lord my God. Verse 7As my life was ebbing away, I remembered the Lord; and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. Verse 8Those who worship vain idols forsake their true loyalty. Verse 9But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Deliverance belongs to the Lord!"
Verse 10Then the Lord spoke to the fish, and it spewed Jonah out upon the dry land.
Devotion
Who among us has not felt like we were cast into the deep waters of regret and shame? It’s easy to lose sight of God’s fountain of mercy when the floods of rejection, isolation and despair begin to drown us. The rapids churn around us, swirling us deeper into the chaos of isolation and threaten to kill us. The abundant life ebbs away. Then, “when all supports are washed away,” the only help left is our prayer that God’s waters of deliverance somehow gather us up again and spit us back on good, solid land.
Prayer
Living Water of Salvation, when the waters close over us and the deep surrounds us, help us to pray. Be our fountain of deliverance. Amen.