Down, down
by Rachael Stelzer
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In my distress I called to the Lord,
and he answered me (Jonah 2:2).
I have never before focused on the words of Jonah, sitting in the belly of a large fish, waiting on the Lord to rescue him. I have not noticed their beauty, the strength of Jonah’s relationship with the Lord, or his growth in grace.
Jonah has been asked to take God’s message of repentance and forgiveness to the Ninevites, who are known for their vicious persecution of the Hebrews. He has refused and has gone in the opposite direction.
Now Jonah has seen God intervene. Caught in a supernatural storm, Jonah has claimed responsibility for the tempest and abandoned himself to the waves. And God has sent a huge fish to swallow Jonah. How undignified. How miraculous.
What follows is one of the most beautiful passages of biblical poetry outside the Psalms.
Interestingly, Jonah focuses not on the international incident he is about to become part of, but on his intimate relationship with almighty God. Jonah recognises the desperate nature of his current situation but also trusts in God to save him. He doesn’t know how or when, but he trusts that his deliverance will happen.
Jonah’s movements until now have been leading him down: down to Joppa, down into the boat, and down, down into the sea. (I love the picture of the seaweed combover that he describes.) So, having reached rock bottom, surrounded by digestive juices and fish food, Jonah repents.
Repentance is an ongoing and daily process. We repent, not so that God will accept us, but because he already has, and we want to be in that relationship with him where our will aligns with his. Jonah speaks repeatedly of ‘going down’, both into the belly of the fish and into the world of the dead, and God lifting him out of both situations.
Many of us sit in isolation right now, either enforced physical isolation or in loneliness. What is the most important thing for us? Big world events, or our relationship with almighty God? We don’t know when we will be rescued or how we will be rescued, but we do know that ‘salvation comes from the Lord’ (verse 10).
May we sing a song of hope in God’s salvation, a tune of daily repentance, and a shout of praise to the One who lifts us out of the pit.
God of the seas, sky, and land, you showed Jonah that nothing is more important than a relationship with you. Hold your isolated people close. Show us the gift of your presence, and help us to sing of your salvation to a world in need of hope. In our Saviour’s name, we pray. Amen.
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