Sermon Tone Analysis

God’s Mercy and Forgiveness: Jonah Prays

Last week we learned that Jonah found himself out of the will of God and in the belly of a great fish!

Jonah was in the Biblical School of Correction and he was taking some advanced courses!

We've learned about the dilemma of the disobedient.

God had captured Jonah to correct Jonah.

In verse 17 of chapter 1 the Bible says that God prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah.

Jonah spent three days and three nights in the smelly belly of a fish.

He had some time to:

Ponder his path

Meditate on his mistakes

Contemplate his correction

Repent of his rebellion

Seek his Savior

Jonah’s despair brought a prayer to God.

We studied about the place of the prayer.

Jonah was in an extremely uncomfortable classroom.

He compared it to the grave.

We also studied about the purpose of the prayer.

The Bible says that Jonah cried out to the Lord because of his affliction.

Jonah sought the Lord because of his affliction, not because of his affection.

Jonah wanted relief from his trying circumstances.

We talked about our motives in praying.

We need to make sure we pray to the Lord in the right way and for the right reasons!

I heard about this little boy who was at the altar on Sunday morning praying fervently.

The pastor overheard the little boy saying over and over again, “Tokyo, Tokyo, Oh, God, Tokyo!

At the end of the service the pastor said to the young boy, “Son I was very pleased to see you praying so diligently, but tell me, why did you keep saying, ‘Tokyo, Tokyo, Tokyo?”

The little boy said, “Well, sir, you see I just finished taking my geography exam on Friday afternoon and I have been praying all weekend that the Lord would make Tokyo the capital of France.

We need to be careful how we pray and what we pray for as well.

We have learned about the place of the prayer, the purpose of the prayer, and now we see:

Jonah’s Despair

A Grim Outlook

We get a picture from the prophet of his perspective of the situation.

Jonah’s outlook in this prayer was a grim and dark outlook.

Jonah mentions things in this prayer that none of us ever want to mention in prayer.

In chapter 1:15 the Bible says that the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea; but Jonah realized that it was God that threw him into the sea.

Jonah confesses here that it was God that cast him into the deep.

Jonah realized God’s sovereign works in his life.

Jonah knew that it was God that cast him into the deep.

Jonah realized that the billows and waves were the Lord’s.

Jonah came to the depths of misery as he believed that he had been cast out of the sight of the Lord.

Jonah had a stiff neck, but at this point there was beginning to be some bend in it.

H.A. Ironside wrote, “We are a long way on the road to recovery when we are ready to admit God’s righteousness in disciplining us, and when we recognize that we are under the hand of God.”

Jonah had been unwilling to go to Nineveh to preach God’s message to the Assyrians so that they too could be saved.

General Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, would often say that he wished that all his soldiers could be hung over the environs of Hell for an hour so that they, having seen the torments of the damned, might have greater zeal for the salvation of men.

God disciplines our lives to bring us back in line with His will for our lives.

A boy’s toy boat went out of reach on a pond one day and started floating away.

A man on the side started throwing rocks at the boat and the boy became horrified at what might happen to his boat.

But then he realized that the rocks were going over the boat and making ripples that finally pushed the boat back to shore and into the boy’s hands.

Many times, when we stray away from God, it appears that he is throwing rocks at us.

But He is really using the ripples to bring us back home.

Jonah thought for sure that he was going to die as he realized the earth with its bars closed behind him forever.

Jonah’s despair brought a grim outlook in this prayer.

There was not only a grim outlook in this prayer but there was also:

A Glorious Outlook

This prayer by Jonah could be interpreted as a statement of faith.

He was praying that he would again look to the holy temple of God in Jerusalem.

*Jonah was confessing that he was down, but he was not out because God was with him.*

Warren Wiersbe writes, “Discipline is to the believer what exercise and training are to the athlete; it enables us to run the race with endurance and reach the assigned goal.

How we respond to discipline determines how much benefit we receive from it.”

We’ve looked at the place, the purpose, the perspective of the prayer.

In verses 7–8 we notice:

Jonah Gets Reconnected With God

This is a great encouraging word; even in the belly of the fish the disobedient child of God made connection with heaven.

When we respond rightly to the discipline of God and seek God earnestly in prayer He will hear from heaven.

It took getting in the belly of the fish before the prophet responded to God.

I pray it doesn’t take you getting swallowed up by a giant fish to reconnect with God.

Jonah’s prayer came into the presence of the Lord.

Thank God Jonah remembered the Lord.

Remembered: (zakar; zaw-kar ) means to remember, think of, or mention.

Jonah remembered the God of heaven in the pit of despair.

He remembered that God was the One and only true God.

He remembered God’s grace,

His mercy,

His salvation;

and His commission.

Great Theological Truth: When a child of God cries out to God in prayer by faith; God hears the petition.

Sin breaks our fellowship with God, but it does not break our relationship.

Jonah had a worship service in the belly of the fish.

When Jonah realized his prayer made connection with God it changed his perspective.

When we realize that our prayers make connection with God and brings forgiveness of sins then we too should have a worship service.

Psalm 32:1–2 says, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.”

Jonah’s prayer of faith was spoken from the fish’s belly.

In verse 7b the Bible says, “and my prayer went up to You, into Your holy temple.”

Jonah’s prayer made connection with heaven!

His prayer went into the temple of the Lord!

His prayer came before the Lord His God.

Jonah recognized who God was; He called on the name of the Lord.

Jonah Realizes His Rebellion

Jonah understood that he had forsaken his own mercy by his rebellion.

Lying Vanities: KJV: means deceptive and empty idols.

Serving false gods is worthless and vain.

Jonah understood that those who place their trust and hope in worthless idols will not experience the mercy of God.

Jonah’s rebellion had become an idol to him and his attitude became a stumbling block to him and others around him.

Jonah knew firsthand that he had forsaken the Lord and that he didn’t deserve the mercy of God in his life.

Great Bible Truth: When we worship the created rather than the Creator; we forsake our own mercy.

*A Good Word: God allowed Jonah to get down in despair so that He could bring him back to the heights of repair.*

God restored Jonah to fellowship by means of the weather, the waves, the wind, and the fish!

See there, I did it again!

When we become conscious of our sin and rebellion; then we are prime candidates for God’s forgiveness and mercy to be shown in our lives.