In Jonah 1:17-2:1 it appears that three days pass before Jonah prays this song. Although the word “then” does not have to refer to a length of time, it can just mean “and.” If it is three days before Jonah seeks God, then it just emphasizes the stubbornness of Jonah.
How about it? What’s it going to take for you to stop resisting God’s Word, works, or the world’s rebuke? Folks, the way we accept God’s working in our lives will be in direct proportion to how much we will benefit from it.
Well, isn’t Jonah’s prayer out of desperation? You bet! I’ve come to the conclusion in my Christian life that most of the time I will not choose to be obedient to the Lord’s will until I have no other choice. The truth of the matter is that as far as what is best for me, there is only one choice I can make: “Follow the Lord.” Yet with that said, I often resist that until things are so bad that I turn to Him.
How about you? Jonah’s crying out to the Lord because of His own rebellion, yet as we shall see, the Lord still answers Him. Why do we resist His love? Well, I think it is because we are insecure and not fully convinced that what the Lord has for us is the best! I want to be on record here and say how thankful I am towards the Lord that He still answers my prayers even though the mess I’m in is because of my own rebellion.
May I make a suggestion to you? Why wait?