It’s your song, too
I was buried beneath your wild and stormy waves… Seaweed wrapped itself around my head. As my life was slipping away, I remembered [you] LORD. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple. Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God’s mercies. But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the LORD alone.”— select verses from Jonah 2
From the belly of the big fish, Jonah shares these thoughts, this prayer. He isn’t dead. He just come so very, very close to it.
I always thought Jonah would be scared in this submarine of sorts. For one thing, it’s completely dark in that smelly belly. And he doesn’t have a watch. One hour could be three for all he knows.
Yet what he does know is enough. He isn’t scared. Instead, he realizes he’s been saved. He has been given time and, with this gift, he praises God.
Jonah isn’t deal making here. This isn’t a “If I… then you’ll…” contract he is making with God. Instead, he is earnest, sincere, grateful, and appreciative of who God is and what God has done. This potential fish food who is still traveling passes his time not in fret but in songs of praise.
We can do the same. Each of us has had more than a few times we’ve come close to death. Think of those split-second scary moments when traveling not in a big fish but beside a big rig on a slippery interstate and you realize that, by the grace of God, you’re still moving along like Jonah is here.
Jonah’s song is your song, too. And you know the lyrics. “I’ll fulfill my vows,” and “My salvation comes from the LORD alone.”
PRAYER: Metaphorically, I really am in the belly of a fish in that I am moving along on time you’ve given me, Lord. Listen as I celebrate, sing and share my praises of you to you and others. Amen.
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