“In my distress I called to the LORD
And He answered me.
From deep in the realm of the dead
I called for help,
And You listened to my cry.

You hurled me into the depths,
Into the very heart of the seas
And the currents swirled about me;
All Your waves and breakers swept over me.

I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight’
The engulfing waters threatened me
The deep surrounded me;
Seaweed was wrapped around my head…

But you, LORD my God,
Brought my life up from the pit.”

So says Jonah from the belly of the fish.

It’s quite a story. An unwilling, cantankerous prophet, running from God, who has himself thrown overboard and then blames God for his predicament! We can certainly learn much from early believers. The whole of their lives was a great drama lived out between God and themselves. God was not on the sidelines of their lives.

Our Lord Jesus is not on the sidelines of your life either. You know, ‘Jesus the Fan’, only cheering, hoping you’ll do better, clapping when you get it right, head in his hands when you blow it again. Not that. He’s right in the game with you, inside you, energizing you to pray and live like you never could on your own. Wherever you are–on the run from God, in the belly of the fish, or on the road to Nineveh–know this: He hears your cry and He’s closer than you can imagine.

As you pray today, include Pastor José López in your praying. Many of us have been guests in José and Gloria’s house in the Dominican Republic. Today, José has hernia surgery. Ask our LORD to grant skill to the surgeon’s hand and a full recovery for our brother.

Praying with you,

Andrew