Jonah 2:1-10, Jonah's Thanks

Jonah 2:1-10, Jonah's Thanks

2:1-10
1.  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.
3.  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.'
5.  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.
7.  "When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer
  rose to you, to your holy temple.
8.  "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.
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."
10.  And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

  There is a miracle man who survived in the belly of a great fish. It's Jonah. Let us learn the teaching of gratitude through his prayer (verse 9) in the fish belly.

1. Jonah was grateful in the fish belly.
 
  Verse 1, "In the belly of the fish ... He prayed, verse 2, "The Belly of sheol.". What is the fish belly? The worst place to meet God and learn to be a theological seminary.
 *What is my fish belly?

  Verse 7, I thought of God during my deep exhaustion. Verse 2, God's discipline (verse 4, I have been banished from your sight) was supplicated. The Lord's discipline is a sign of love (Hebrews 12:7, 10,11). Let's thank God.
 Heb. 12:7,10,11,
 “7.Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?  10.Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11.No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

2. Jonah is grateful for God's grace.

  Verse 8,9, all the life that has passed is the grace of God. God's grace for Jonah (A great wind, a great fish, a vine, a worm, a scorching east wind, etc.). Grateful voice (9), lifting up from the pit (6). God of Salvation (9)
The Prophet's Prayer of Thanksgiving, Hab. 3:17:18 (Thank God of salvation without six things), “17.Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18.yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
*What is the Grace of the Lord to be grateful for?

3. Jonah, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to God, is grateful for his voice.

  Verse 9 (Thank you to the Lord) What you have in the fish belly is your voice, and thank you for it.
 *What do you have now to thank the Lord? 
In the end, Jonah's prayer is answered and becomes a miraculous hero. The fish spit him to land, and he went to Nineveh to take care of his mission.  This is Seminary graduation day!

  Are you in tribulation? Let us think of the Lord's grace and thank him for having even the smallest. Amen.

It was the day of the seminary graduation day. We were saved and departed for a new mission. Today we are celebrating this day. Like Jonah, are you ready to start for a new mission?