Praying through the Darkness
I was blessed at church today. During the past month, we have been studying the book of Jonas - how we sometimes, if not often, turn away from God, and suffer the consequences of our actions. But despite our stubbornness, He always finds us and pulls us in to His loving arms, and leads us.
What we think makes us happy may be what is not for us. Or, actions of others affected us, bringing us down into a spiral. And so we feel abandoned and lost. Why God, why?! Whenever we find ourselves swallowed in darkness, we find it hard to connect with Jesus, to pray. He feels so far away. Yet, what we don't know is that He uses these circumstances to help us find our way, because after all, everything is about Him. Not about us, but only Him.
While going through Jonas' prayer, while he was still in the belly of the whale, calling God for help, the prayer resonated in me. Remembering the many times I've fallen, and how He has helped me up. He never gives up. He sends angels in different forms. He never forsakes us.
[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 deep in the realm of the dead I called for help,
and you listened to my cry.
[3] 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.
[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, Lord my God,
brought my life up from the pit.
[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
turn away from God’s love for them.
[9] But I, with shouts of grateful praise,
will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good.
I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’ ”
[10] And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
I hope that you have been blessed with this prayer, as it had me 😍
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