From Despair to Renewal: Jonah's Transformative Prayer

### Bible Reading
1. **Jonah 2:1-10**: "From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. 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. 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. I said, "I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple." The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. 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. When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. 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." And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.'"

2. **Matthew 12:39-40**: "He answered, 'A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.'"

### Observation Questions
1. What was Jonah's initial reaction when he found himself in the belly of the fish? (Jonah 2:1-2)
2. How does Jonah describe his situation inside the fish in his prayer? (Jonah 2:3-6)
3. What does Jonah acknowledge about idols in his prayer? (Jonah 2:8)
4. How does Jesus relate His own death and resurrection to the story of Jonah? (Matthew 12:39-40)

### Interpretation Questions
1. What does Jonah's prayer reveal about his understanding of God's character and power? (Jonah 2:2-6)
2. How does Jonah's experience in the belly of the fish serve as a metaphor for hitting rock bottom in our own lives? [47:03]
3. Why is it significant that Jonah acknowledges "Salvation comes from the Lord"? How does this statement reflect a change in his heart? (Jonah 2:9)
4. In what ways does Jesus' reference to Jonah in Matthew 12:39-40 deepen our understanding of the resurrection?

### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you felt like you were in the "belly of the whale." How did you respond to God during that time? [46:01]
2. Jonah had to let go of his idols of prejudice and self-will to fully embrace God's plan. What are some idols in your life that you need to let go of? [01:06:49]
3. How can you incorporate more heartfelt prayer into your daily routine, especially during difficult times? [58:01]
4. Jonah's story shows that God can turn our greatest failures into His finest moments. Can you think of a failure in your life that God has used for good? [55:43]
5. Jesus' resurrection is paralleled with Jonah's experience. How does this comparison impact your understanding of Easter and the hope it brings? (Matthew 12:39-40)
6. Jonah made vows and commitments to God while in the belly of the fish. Are there any commitments you have made to God that you need to follow through on? [01:09:53]
7. How can you remind yourself daily that "salvation comes from the Lord" and not from your own efforts? [01:12:38]

Day 1: Rising from Rock Bottom
Jonah's experience in the belly of the whale symbolizes hitting rock bottom—a place of total despair and darkness. It's a reminder that when we reach our lowest point, we have nowhere to go but up. This is often where God does His most transformative work, turning our failures into opportunities for growth and renewal. Jonah's story shows that even in our darkest moments, God is present and ready to lift us up. When Jonah found himself in the depths of the whale, he turned back to God in prayer, acknowledging his failures and seeking divine intervention. This act of humility and repentance opened the door for God's restoration and renewal in his life.

In our own lives, we may find ourselves in situations where we feel trapped by our poor decisions, where our dreams, relationships, or finances seem to be in the "belly of the whale." These moments of despair are not the end but can be the beginning of a transformation. God specializes in turning our greatest failures into His finest moments. When we hit rock bottom, we have the opportunity to experience God's transformative power in a profound way. [47:03]

Jonah 2:6-7 (ESV): "At the roots of the mountains I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple."

Reflection: Think of a time when you felt you had hit rock bottom. How did you see God working in that situation to bring about transformation and renewal?


Day 2: The Power of Prayer in Desperation
Jonah's prayer from within the whale demonstrates the power of calling out to God in our darkest moments. Despite his initial rebellion, Jonah's heartfelt plea was heard by God, showing that it's never too late to turn back to Him. This teaches us that God is always listening and ready to respond to our cries for help. Jonah's prayer is a powerful reminder that no matter how far we have strayed, God is always ready to hear us and bring us back into His fold.

In our moments of despair, when we feel trapped and hopeless, turning to God in prayer can bring about a profound change. Jonah's story encourages us to call out to God, acknowledging our failures and seeking His intervention. God's response to Jonah's prayer shows His willingness to forgive and restore us, no matter how far we have fallen. This is a testament to the power of prayer and God's unending grace and mercy. [58:01]

Psalm 18:6 (ESV): "In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears."

Reflection: When was the last time you called out to God in a moment of desperation? How did He respond to your prayer, and what did you learn from that experience?


Day 3: Identifying and Letting Go of Idols
Jonah had to confront his own idols—prejudice and self-will—before he could fully embrace God's plan for his life. Similarly, we must identify and let go of anything that we place above God. Holding onto these idols can prevent us from experiencing God's best for our lives. Jonah's story teaches us the importance of self-examination and the willingness to let go of anything that hinders our relationship with God.

Idols can take many forms in our lives, such as material possessions, relationships, career ambitions, or personal desires. These idols can distract us from God's purpose and lead us away from His will. By identifying and relinquishing these idols, we open ourselves to experiencing God's best for our lives. Jonah's journey shows that letting go of idols is a crucial step in embracing God's plan and experiencing His transformative power. [01:06:49]

Ezekiel 14:6 (ESV): "Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations."

Reflection: What are some idols in your life that you need to let go of? How can you begin to release these idols and fully embrace God's plan for your life?


Day 4: God's Specialty in Resurrection and Renewal
The story of Jonah is a powerful illustration of God's ability to resurrect and renew. Just as Jonah was given a second chance, God can breathe new life into our dying dreams, relationships, and hopes. This underscores the theme that our greatest failures can become God's finest moments. Jonah's experience in the belly of the whale and his subsequent deliverance highlight God's power to bring about new beginnings and renewed purpose.

In our own lives, we may face situations that seem beyond repair or hope. However, God's specialty is in resurrection and renewal. He can take our brokenness and turn it into something beautiful and purposeful. Jonah's story encourages us to trust in God's ability to bring about new life and transformation, even in the most hopeless circumstances. [55:43]

Isaiah 43:19 (ESV): "Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."

Reflection: Think of an area in your life that feels beyond repair. How can you invite God to bring about resurrection and renewal in that situation?


Day 5: Salvation Comes from the Lord
Jonah's declaration that "salvation comes from the Lord" is a profound reminder that we cannot earn our salvation through our own efforts. It is a gift from God, made possible through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This realization should lead us to a life of gratitude and surrender to God's will. Jonah's story emphasizes the importance of recognizing God's sovereignty and grace in our lives.

Salvation is not something we can achieve on our own; it is a gift from God. Jonah's acknowledgment of this truth highlights the importance of relying on God's grace and mercy. As we reflect on our own lives, we should be reminded of the significance of Jesus' sacrifice and the gift of salvation. This understanding should inspire us to live a life of gratitude, surrendering our will to God's purpose and plan. [01:12:38]

Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV): "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

Reflection: How does the understanding that salvation is a gift from God change the way you live your life? What steps can you take to live a life of gratitude and surrender to God's will?

And so we parted our faith morning, and so we're in a series on the book of Jonah.

We're kind of going through the, almost kind of verse by verse, and chapter by chapter.

The last couple weeks we spent some time in chapter one, and I've done some research a while back about, you know, people that survived being swallowed by a whale.

Believe it or not, besides Jonah, there have been two other occurrences in our history of two people that survived being swallowed by a whale.

One very, very recent, in 2021, a guy named Michael Packard off the East Coast. I believe he was lobster fishing, and he fell overboard and got swallowed up by a whale.

They said that he was swallowed up for about 40 seconds, and I think the whale realized that this wasn't a fish.

So about 30, 40 seconds, he kind of, you know, got rid of him really quickly, but he was hospitalized for a few days and lived to tell the story of a survival of being swallowed by a fish.

But the greater story happened in 1891. A guy named James Brantley was off the coast of England.

They were whale fishing, and, you know, rough seas, they had a whale that they were going after, and somehow, he fell overboard.

They tried to save him, and he was gone. All the sailors of that ship assumed that he had drowned and that he was gone, and his body would never be found again.

They caught that whale and pulled it out. They pulled that whale out, and 36 hours later, they noticed in that dead whale's belly something was moving, and they couldn't figure it out.

So they cut open the whale, and there was the missing sailor, James Brantley. He had been in that whale for 36 long hours.

The digestive juice had bleached him completely. He was blind. Some say he was blind for life at that point, but he survived, went back to work supposedly three weeks later, and lived another 18 more years.

On his tombstone, somewhere in England, his tombstone says, "James Brantley, a modern-day Jonah."

So just to say, you know, whale surviving—surviving a whale has happened, and we see this, for sure, in the life of Jonah.

Chapter 1, let me just give you a quick recap. If you haven't been with us in the last couple weeks, I encourage you to go back to our website to find these services online and get caught up here in the story of Jonah.

But let me give you a quick recap here. Chapter 1, God told Jonah to go to Nineveh. Jonah hates the Ninevites. He wants to have nothing to do with them.

You know, and so he tells God, "No," he runs a different direction, the opposite direction. He gets on a boat, heads towards Tarshish, and while he's on the boat, headed towards Tarshish, going the opposite direction of God's plan, and God's will, and God's purpose for his life, a storm came in.

You know, he ran into a storm, and then they threw him overboard. Then God prepared a great fish, which happened to be Jonah's greatest nightmare, which is what we talked about last week.

It's what he needed. He needed that, you know, to have that moment so that God could, not for retribution, but restoration, to restore him and to get him back on track of where he needs to be.

And so that's where we pick up this story for today, Jonah chapter 2. Jonah chapter 2 is one of those chapters that gets overlooked.

People like to read the book of Jonah; they love Jonah chapter 1, and then Jonah chapter 2, which is only 10 verses long, they just kind of breeze through it, and then chapter 3 is more action.

And then chapter 2 is kind of a moment. It's a very important chapter; in fact, it's also known as a beautiful Hebrew prayer, and we see in chapter 2, it's the prayer of Jonah.

Some call it the psalm of Jonah. Jonah wrote a very poetic, very beautiful portion of scripture of what he prayed after he learned what God was capable of doing inside the belly of this fish.

And so I want to dig in, in Jonah chapter 2, in verse number 1. The Bible says, and the Word of God says, "From inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the Lord, his God."

In other words, God said, "Jonah, do I have your attention? Do I have your attention now?"

And some of you right now, God, he has your attention. And from that, your prayer life is about to reemerge.

And so we recognize the fact that Jonah, we could say that he's hit rock bottom. He's in the belly of a great fish. He has nowhere to go but up.

He's at the end of his rope. And I think we can all relate to Jonah because we've all been there.

You know, Jonah made a mess of everything with a series of bad choices, one bad decision after another bad decision after another bad decision that led him to the belly of this whale.

You know, and I find out that in my life, whenever I try to live life my own way and do what I want, I find my life, my way, instead of God's way, I find my life ending up in the belly of a whale.

Perhaps today, maybe your marriage is in the belly of a whale. You were once so in love, and now you wonder what went wrong. How did it change so fast?

Maybe this morning you had a dream, and now it's in the belly of a whale, a dream and a goal that you had. You see that in front of your whole life, and today, maybe the past month, maybe the past year, you see your dream dying right in front of you.

Perhaps today, your finances are in the belly of a whale. Your finances are in a mess because of some bad financial decisions that you made.

And listen, we have all been there. Every one of us. We've all failed. We've all made mistakes. We've all thought at times we know what's best for us.

We know what's best for us more than God knows what's best for us. And one misstep in our life creates another misstep and another misstep, and here we are, it leads us to a belly of a whale.

It's a place of total despair. It's rock bottom. It's the end of the rope. There's nowhere else to go.

The question is, how do you know when you've hit rock bottom? How do you know if you're in the belly of a whale?

Well, first off, it doesn't smell very good in there. It's stinky. It's an awful place. In fact, I'm sure it smells better in an outhouse at the State Fair than it does in the belly of a whale.

But how else do you know you're in the belly of a whale? How else do you know that you've hit rock bottom?

Some thoughts here if you want to take notes. There's darkness. There's darkness. Jonah says in chapter 2, verse number 3 and 4, in his prayer, he said, "God, you hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the current swirled about me. All your waves and breakers swept over me."

And then he said in verse 4, "I said, I have been banished from your sight." Why don't you underline that phrase? "I have been banished from your sight. Yet I will look again toward your holy temple."

He said, "I've been banished from your sight." Jonah's saying, "Listen, it's dark in here. I can't see anything. I can't see what you're up to, God."

And when you're in the belly of a whale, when you hit rock bottom, you don't know what God is trying to do. You can't see what God is doing. You can't see where to go.

You can't see what to do next. You can't understand what God is trying to do. You can't see a bright future. Why? Because there's darkness all around you.

And unfortunately, so many people we know, they find themselves at rock bottom. They've hit the rock bottom of their life, and they give up. They quit.

At worst, they figure life is not worth living anymore, and they end it. Because all they see is darkness. They feel like there's no hope, but we've hit rock bottom. It's over.

And this is where Jonah finds himself. It's a dark situation. But not only is it dark, they're desperate.

When you hit rock bottom, you're desperate. Jonah, he was trapped in the belly of a great fish. He was trapped.

Look at verse five. He prayed. He said, "The engulfing waters threatened me. The deep surrounded me. Seaweed was wrapped around my head."

I mean, just for a minute, just imagine. I need for you to, just a minute, for a minute here, get Pinocchio out of your mind.

We think of Pinocchio in the whale. He's on a boat. He's just kind of hanging out, you know, with his friends. Get that out of your mind.

Think about how awful this situation is. It's probably 110 to 120 degrees in the belly of that fish. It's hot. It's humid. It smells.

Mouths, he's got half-eaten fish being digested in his belly. Not only that, he's got the digestive juice that's bleaching his skin.

It's awful. I mean, I don't think we can even quite imagine this situation. And here's Jonah. He felt like he was in a desperate situation and felt trapped.

Whenever you're in the belly of a whale, when you hit rock bottom, you feel trapped in life. You feel stuck. You feel like there's no way out.

You don't understand what to do. You've tried everything you can to change the situation. You've tried this. You've tried that.

And the more you try, the worse it gets, right? You can't change it. Or you've tried everything to change that person in your life, and you've done everything, and you've come to a place where you realize you can't change that person.

You feel trapped. You've tried everything you can to change yourself. You've tried this, and you've tried that, and nothing seems to work.

And you feel like you've hit a dead end, one dead end after another. You feel trapped. And that's when you know you're in the belly of a whale, when you feel trapped in a desperate situation.

But then, how else do you know if you hit rock bottom? Well, for Jonah, he was facing certain death. He was facing certain death.

But number six, "To the roots of the mountains I sank down. The earth beneath barred me in forever."

So here's Jonah. He knew that he had built his own coffin with the poor decisions and failures of his life. It's in the belly of a whale.

But he's like, "This is it. I'm done. I mean, this is how it ends for me." You see, my friend, it's in the belly of a whale where we see marriages go to die.

It's in the belly of a whale where you experience the death of a dream. It's in the belly of a whale where you see the death of a friendship.

It's in the belly of a whale where you see your career die. It's in the belly of a whale where you experience the death of hope.

At the end of the day, when you think about it, the belly of the whale is not a bad place to be. You say, "Well, how do you say that?"

It's because the failures and the sins and the mistakes of our lives, God can somehow take them and turn them around, and he always does that.

He always turns life around when we find our life in the belly of the whale. He always does.

Sometimes a dream has to die before God finds it. Sometimes a marriage has to die before God can work a miracle.

Sometimes hope has to die before we realize that God is the only one who can bring it back to life.

You know, I talked about it last week, but, you know, where Jesus mentioned Jonah. In fact, I want you to look at this passage of Scripture in Matthew chapter 12.

I want you to notice what Jesus says. It's so important here. He said, "'A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.'"

So here's the context. He said, you know, you guys are looking for a sign. You're looking for signs that I am the Son of God.

You know, you don't believe who I claim to be, and I'm not going to give you a sign except for one. And here's the sign in verse number 40.

"'For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.'"

Jesus said, "'Just as Jonah was in the belly of the earth for three days and three nights, I'm going to be in the grave for three days and three nights. But then I'm going to be resurrected to new life.'"

And here's what Jesus said. I don't want you to miss this. Jesus is saying, hey, before there can be a resurrection, death has to happen.

Before a resurrection can happen, death has to take place. And back in Jonah, the purpose of the story of Jonah is for you and for me to see that God is resurrected, renewed his purpose in Jonah's life.

The book of Jonah is all about resurrection. It's about resurrection. And it shows us that God specializes in resurrection.

That's why it's so important that when you are in the belly of the whale, now, when you come to the place where your dream has died, your business has died, your marriage has died, where your hope has died, when you get to that place, you need to know that God has you right where he wants you to be.

Because he specializes in resurrection. And he loves to resurrect dying marriages, he loves to resurrect dying hope and dying dreams.

He loves to, because only God can. All things are possible because of God.

And here's the point of chapter 2, if you're taking note. The bottom line of chapter 2 is that your greatest failure, my greatest failure, can be God's finest moment.

Your greatest failure can be God's finest moment. God said don't run from the failures, admit them, turn them around and turn back to me and I can turn your life around.

God specializes in resurrection. So my question is, do you find yourself this morning in a dark, desperate, hopeless situation?

This morning, do you find yourself here in the belly of a whale, in some area of your life? Do you find yourself where I am?

I want you to notice the rest of this chapter. Look what Jonah did in verse number 2. This may be one of my favorite verses here in this whole chapter.

Jonah said, "In my distress, I called to the Lord." The Bible says, "And he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead, I called for help and you listened to my cry."

Oh my, I love this. This is so amazing. Because we have the ability, every one of us, to call on the God of the universe, the creator and the sustainer of life, the one who spoke into existence, the stars and hung them into the skies and the galaxies, you know, the beginning and the end, the first and the last, the supreme judge, the holy one, the one who is all-knowing.

The one who's all-present, who's all-powerful. He said we can call on him and he will answer, he will answer.

Jonah called on him after he said, "Forget you, God," in chapter 1, and God in his mercy, in chapter 2, answered him.

That gives me hope. That I'm at my worst days. I'm at my days when I wandered off from God.

I'm at my days where I, you know, where I go into a season of my life where I live without him. And I come to a point in my life where I say, man, I'm doing life without God, I'm running from God, and I crawl back to God.

And I get to that place and sometimes I say, I don't know that God will listen to me. I have messed up. I have blown it.

Why would God even listen to me? And yet I can crawl back to God all bloodied, bruised up, beaten up, and say, "God, do you still hear me?"

And God, he answers. He listens to my prayers. There's never a day where God says, "I'm not listening to you."

Here's Jonah. Jonah is running. Jonah, hey, Jonah, I mean, a prophet, a man of God, has his best season of life, which means that all of us.

All of us. We can be like Jonah, no matter who you are, and yet we have a God who listens. We have a God who still listens to our prayers.

Hebrews chapter 4 verse 16, we can approach God's throne of grace with confidence. In other words, we have the right to step into the presence of a holy God so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

We can call on God. Call on him. You know, sometimes people don't even use the word pray, right?

They'll just say, you know, you're going through a hard time, oh, hey, I'll be thinking about you. Hey, do me a favor. Do me a favor. Promise me, if I'm ever going through a hard time, that you won't think about me.

But, pray for me. Pray. Don't just think. Pray. In the middle of Jonah's darkest hour, he cries out to God.

Now look at verse 6 again. "To the roots of the mountains, I sank down. The earth beneath barred me in forever. But you," underline that phrase, "But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit."

Again, we see the common theme, right? That your greatest failure can be God's finest moment.

And some of you right now, you feel like your life is spiraling out of control, going downward. And here's what I want you to know.

Never forget the "but God" moment. Oh, I've heard so many of these "but God" moments in my life.

I've had people come to my office. I said, "Pastor Scott, my life was out of control." "But God."

"But God came and fixed my life." "Oh, Pastor Scott, my marriage was out of control. My marriage was falling apart." "But God came in and saved my marriage."

"Oh, Pastor Scott, the doctor told me there was no chance. That this was it." "But God."

"He came in and saved my life." Don't forget the "but God" moments of your life.

Remember, all things are possible with God. And it goes on, Jonah goes on to say this in verse 7.

"When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord. I remembered you, Lord. And my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple."

And some of you today, you're going to remember God. That's right. You're going to remember God.

Some of you are saying, "Well, I didn't forget God." And I'm going to say, "Yes, you did." Because it happens to all of us.

A lot of times when things are going well, what do we do with God? We say, "Oh, hey, God, thank you." And then we kind of put God on the side.

We put him on the back burner. And we try to do life on our own without God. And then we get to a place where we feel like, man, I'm dragging.

Things aren't coming together. And you realize that you've missed the power source of your life. And you remember God.

This is Jonah. Jonah was doing life without God. He knew who God was. But he had put God on the back burner of his life.

And he was running from God. And in this moment, he remembered God. He remembered him.

If we're not careful, we can slowly drift away from God, every one of us. We can slowly drift from dependence on God to being independent from God.

Happens to all of us. Even Jonah. And then the next verse, verse 8. Jonah kind of shifts his tone.

Remember, Jonah's a prophet. He's a preacher. All right? I mean, if he's any preacher I know, he's got to get a sermon in there somewhere.

All right? There's always a sermon in every conversation. This is Jonah, right? He's got, hey, here's my prayer.

If I've got to give a little sermon, it's actually kind of a warning. It's like, hey, don't do what I did. You know, I paid a hard price. I paid a lesson.

Don't live my life. Don't go in that direction. He said in verse number 8, here's how he says it.

"Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God's love for them." What were Jonah's idols?

Two quick thoughts here. He had the idol of prejudice. He had the idol of prejudice.

Right? He said, "I don't like that group of people. I don't want to have anything to do with them, period. I don't want to go to the Ninevites."

He was prejudiced against them. He had the idol of prejudice. Then he also had the idol of self.

The idol of self. In other words, I hear God, but I don't care what he's telling me. I'm going to do life my way.

I'm going to do what I want. And in my opinion, if there's one thing that American Christianity needs to do, American Christianity needs to let go of the idol of self.

We've got to let go of it. Now, I know what God's Word says. But I don't care. That's American Christianity.

And I don't know what the idol of self would be for you. It could be your image. It could be all about your image.

Your life surrounds the image of you. Your idol. It could be some relationship.

You know, I like him. I want to be with him. I want to be with her all the time. And that could be your idol.

By the way, nothing wrong with relationships. I'm glad I've got relationships. It's not my idol.

You know, my number one is God. I'm doing life with my number two, worshiping our number one, who God is. That's who God is.

Your idol. Maybe your idol is your career, your business, money, materialism. You know, that's what you worship.

Your life revolves around that. Jonah said, "Those who hold on to these idols will forfeit God's best for your life."

You will miss out on what God wants for you until you let go of these worthless idols. They're worthless.

But Jonah paid a high price. And then he stood out. He said, "Don't do it. Don't go there."

And then verse number nine. "But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you what I have vowed I will make good."

I want you to stop right here for just a minute. I love that. "What I have vowed."

Jonah, by the way, he writes this after his experience of being in the valley. He didn't write this in the Valley of the Whale.

He didn't write this while he's in the fish. He wrote this later. He made some vows, though.

He made some commitments. While he was in the valley, he said, "We've all been there, right? He said, 'God, if you get me out of this mess, I promise, I will do from the blank.'"

Jonah said, "God, if you get me out of this fish, I will go to Nineveh. I will do it. If I make it out of this alive, I will make it."

And so he said, "What I have vowed, I will make good."

Get out. He said, "Yeah, man. Get out of the ditch. Get out of the ditch."

He understands what I'm saying. Some of you may have made some commitments.

"I'm going to be a leader in the workplace. I'm going to be a man of character, a woman of integrity. I'm going to lead the way. I want people to know who Jesus is through my life."

But you haven't done it. What commitment have you made but you've not followed through?

"Hey, I've got Jesus in my life. I haven't taken that next step of baptism. I'm going to, though."

"I'm going to." But you keep putting it off, putting it off, putting it off.

Perhaps you're here this morning and say, "I don't have a relationship with Jesus. I'm close. I'm going to get there eventually."

What's holding you back? What's holding you back from going all in for Jesus? It's time to do it. It's time.

Look back at verse 9. We see the hope in the second part of this verse. Jonah says, "I will say, salvation comes from the Lord."

By the way, verse 9 is a praise. It starts, "I will shout with grateful praise."

"I've got a reason to celebrate. I've got a reason to praise. I've got a reason to cry out hallelujah because salvation comes from the Lord."

Think about it. He could not—what could he contribute to his salvation? Why? While he was in the belly of the whale.

None. Absolutely none. He couldn't go to church. He couldn't give. He couldn't serve.

He couldn't go out and go on a mission trip. He couldn't do any of those things. And Jonah said, "Man, I couldn't do any of that. Salvation comes from the Lord and the Lord alone."

And that's where salvation comes from. It comes from God, not from you. It's not from your works.

It's not from doing good things. The New Testament in Ephesians chapter 2, Ephesians chapter 2, verse 8 said, "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith. This is not from yourselves. It is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast."

It's never, ever by your own works. Never. That way you can't brag about it.

But salvation comes from the Lord. And my friend, when you recognize that, when you recognize that it cost God his only son who shed his blood on the cross, then you can be saved because of what Jesus did.

Plus nothing, minus nothing. That's why it's the good news. You can't bring anything to it.

And when you recognize that, your only reasonable response is, "God, here's my life." From the Lord.

And then the last verse, verse number 10. "And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land."

The Lord, he's in control of it all. He's commanding the fish. And it vomited Jonah.

It's kind of disgusting if you ask me. But it's very powerful.

And it really drives home the thought that I hope that will echo in your heart for the rest of your life, and that is this: Whether you are on top of the world, or whether you've hit rock bottom in the belly of the whale, whenever you call upon the name of the Lord, he will answer.

He is listening. And then, your greatest failure is always a moment where God can show up and turn your life upside down.

Your greatest failure is God's finest moment. Today, maybe you're here today, and this message resonates with you because you've hit rock bottom.

God's not done with you. Some of you quit. Some of you have given up. God is not finished.

He has a plan and a purpose for your life. Just need to give it to him.

If you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, that salvation, it only comes from him. And it's available today. Amen.

It's available right now. Salvation is still on the table. It's up to you to take it.

It's up to you to receive it. And today could be your day when you start to turn your life around.

Next week, chapter 3, Jonah is a little humbled. Jonah is a little pleased. He's a little seaweed, and maybe a certain type of smell going with him.

But he's walking into Nineveh, doing what God wanted him to do all along. It's a powerful story. Read it, chapter 3, this week.

We're going to talk about Nineveh and what God did that Sunday.

Let's share a little story from Africa, how I saw a village, a Nineveh city, a Nineveh village, and how God turned that village upside down.

See, God is still in the business of turning Ninevites, turning them to him. Be here next Sunday.

But before we close, let's pray. And maybe there's someone here that needs to make a decision before they leave.

God, we thank you for the message of Jonah. Some of us here have hit rock bottom.

But God, we know that in the belly of the whale, you can turn life around. And salvation, it only comes from you.

God, maybe there's someone here today that's not a believer. Perhaps there's someone here today that needs Jesus in their life.

Their entire life, they've said no to you. But today, in the belly of the whale, whatever their situation might be, they've realized that they've hit the end of their rope.

And today, they want to give their life to you. And if that's you today, you're doing what all of us have done.

You've come to a point in your life where you needed Jesus, and you invited him into your life. The Bible says he's knocking on the door of your heart.

He wants to come in. But he's not going to open the door until you do it. You have to open it.

And receive him. And when he comes in, he gives you a new life, new purpose.

You say, "Scott, how do I do that?" The Bible says all you have to do is call upon the name of the Lord.

You call. And he's listening, right where you're sitting. You're not praying it to me. You're not praying it to your friends, your family.

You're praying to God and God alone in the quietness of your heart, right where you're sitting.

And you can pray a prayer like this. You can repeat this prayer that I pray.

"Dear God, I'm a sinner. And I've hit rock bottom. I've tried to do life my way for so long.

And today, I give that up and come to you. Come into my life. Forgive me of my sins. Give me a new life, new purpose.

And I want to spend eternity with you. Thank you for dying on the cross. Thank you for your salvation."

With heads bowed and eyes closed, no one's looking, just me. I'm not going to embarrass you.

In fact, we had one person that's in the first service. She raised her hand. She made that decision.

Perhaps there's someone here in this second service that says, you know, "I just prayed that prayer. Never done that before. But today, I meant it with all my heart.

And I ask Jesus Christ to come into my life, be my Lord and Savior." And if that's you, will you raise your hand?

I'm not going to embarrass you. I'm not going to make you stand. I'm not going to have people look at you.

But if that's you, raise your hand up high so I can see. Is there anybody like that in this room this morning?

Perhaps there's some Christians here. You're a follower of Jesus. But you're like Jonah.

You've been running from God, doing life your way. You've got salvation. You know where you're going.

You're just not living like it. But today, today you want to come back to Him.

And if that's you and says, "God, please pray for me. I need to turn my life back to Jesus."

And if that's you, will you raise your hand? Several people this morning. I see some hands here. Good. I see some hands.

Anyone else? I need to get back into the Word. I need to get back to praying.

I've been doing life. I've kind of put God on the sideline. Anybody else?

God, we thank you for those that made the decision today. Thank you for salvation that can only come from you.

We thank you that you're still saving souls. And you haven't given up on those who are in the family of God.

Even when we stray off, even when we wander off, even when we try to live life our way, you're still there for us, waiting for us to come back to you.

Oh, God, help us to let go of the worthless idols, whatever that might be. Help us to let go of them so that we can pursue you with all of our heart, soul, and mind.

In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

### Quotes for Outreach

1. "Your greatest failure can be God's finest moment. God said don't run from the failures, admit them, turn them around and turn back to me and I can turn your life around. God specializes in resurrection." [56:54] (18 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




2. "Salvation comes from the Lord and the Lord alone. And that's where salvation comes from. It comes from God, not from you. It's not from your works. It's not from doing good things." [01:13:23] (17 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




3. "Whenever you call upon the name of the Lord, he will answer. He is listening. And then, your greatest failure is always a moment where God can show up and turn your life upside down." [01:15:31] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




4. "Before there can be a resurrection, death has to happen. Before a resurrection can happen, death has to take place. And back in Jonah, the purpose of the story of Jonah is for you and for me to see that God is resurrected, renewed his purpose in Jonah's life." [55:43] (24 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




5. "Sometimes a dream has to die before God finds it. Sometimes a marriage has to die before God can work a miracle. Sometimes hope has to die before we realize that God is the only one who can bring it back to life." [53:37] (22 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




### Quotes for Members

1. "Jonah made a mess of everything with a series of bad choices, one bad decision after another bad decision after another bad decision that led him to the belly of this whale. You know, and I find out that in my life, whenever I try to live life my own way and do what I want." [46:01] (20 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




2. "Jonah said, in my distress, I called to the Lord. The Bible says, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead, I called for help and you'll listen to my cry. Oh my, I love this, this is so amazing. Because we have the ability, every one of us, to call on the God of the universe." [58:01] (35 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




3. "Jonah said, Those who hold on to these idols will forfeit God's best for your life. You will miss out what God wants for you until you let go of these worthless idols. They're worthless. But Jonah paid a high price. And then he stood out. He said, Don't do it. Don't go there." [01:09:10] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




4. "Jonah said, God, if you get me out of this fish, I will go to Nineveh. I will do it. If I make out of this a lie, I will make it. And so he said, What I have vowed, I will make good. Get out. He said, Yeah, man. Get out of the ditch." [01:11:05] (58 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




5. "Jonah says, I will say, salvation. Salvation comes from the Lord. By the way, verse 9 is a praise. It starts, I will shout with grateful praise. I've got a reason to celebrate. I've got a reason to praise. I've got a reason to cry out hallelujah because salvation comes from the Lord." [01:12:38] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)