Be blessed by Jonah’s prayer. What a great God we serve! Often it is only through loss and deliverance that the Lord receives our praise. May His praise ever be on our lips.
Jonah 2: Jonah's Prayer
1 Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish,
2 saying, "I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.
3 For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me.
4 Then I said, 'I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.'
5 The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head
6 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.
7 When my life was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.
8 Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love.
9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD!"
10 And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.
Things to think about…
Often we need to be placed in a situation where we are totally dependent upon God so that we are left with nothing else in order to cry out to Him. It’s never pleasant to the flesh, but often a necessity to grow in spirit. That’s what happened with Jonah, Jon 2:2. It says the Lord heard him. When did God hear you in a time of distress? How did He deliver you? How did you give Him praise?
Jonah’s mariner friends were the ones who him into the deep. But Jon 2:3 it says that the Lord did it. Who do you attribute times of trial and suffering to? How do you discern whether it is sin, the devil or the Lord? God is ultimately in sovereign control over everything. As such, how should difficult events shape our faith? A loving God is behind every difficult providence for our good and His glory. Sometimes joy can only come after the pain…but joy will come. “Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!”, Psalm 126:5.
What do you think will be your last thoughts and words just as you take your final breath? None of us can know, but Jonah says that when his life was fainting away he remembered the Lord, Jon 2:7. The temple gets a mention a couple of times in this chapter. Why does Jonah mention it as he prays do you think? What is the same equivalence for us? We of course enter into the direct presence of God through the work of the cross of Christ. But the temple represented God’s presence and Solomon’s prayer was that when the Lord’s people turned towards Jerusalem and the Temple to pray – the Lord would hear and forgive 1King 8:30. Jesus was filled with zeal for the purity of the temple which represented His body and presence.
Jonah says he will do what he vowed, Jon 2:9 because salvation belongs to the Lord. What service have you said ‘Yes’ to because you have been saved through faith in Christ. Are you keeping your word?
Jonah says the Lord spoke to the fish and he vomited Jonah upon dry land, Jon 2:10. Do you believe this really happened? If so, how would you explain this to critics who would say you believe in fairy tales. At the end of the day, it is by faith we believe these things, even the elementary things in the scriptures. Even though some things are hard to believe because they are miraculous, our God created the heavens, the earth and in this case the fish that carried Jonah. Let’s not believe in part, but the whole.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Prayer points
1. Pray for Iran and a short war. May the Iranian people see the prophesy of Jer 49:34-39 fulfilled over the coming weeks and months.
2. Pray for the church in Australia that it focuses on Christ, His Word and holiness.
3. Pray for our leaders in Australia that they press in closer to Christ.
4. Pray the influence of Russia and China is minimised militarily.
5. The Royal Commission that the Jewish people will feel safe in Australia.
6. One for Israel ministry.
7. Conflict zones- Israel, Iran and Ukraine
8. Pray for new people to step into ministries at CBC – eg worship, café, sound/technical, giving, podcast.
9. Reform and Revival over our city and country.
10. Finances to cover our needs
11. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to increase.
Praise Points
1. US and Israeli strikes on Iran and Lebanon
2. Praise God for the Lord’s blessing over our service on Sunday
3. Praise God for ministries – Life Groups, Prayer meetings, Kids@Church
4. Café team every week. Thankyou to all those who serve and bring food. Especially Fiona, Maddie and Suzy.
5. Worship, Admin and Technical teams – Nita, Brendon, AJ, Suzy, Maddie, Mathys, Doug.
6. Kids Church teachers – Jacqueline, Maddie, Elise, Anastacia and Fiona
7. The Lord’s faithfulness this year to CBC and all who have served in ministries
8. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Prayer meeting Wed 5:30pm at church
2. All Life Groups are back.
3. Kids@Church has started back
4. Mothers Day High tea celebration – Saturday morning, May 9th at Church.
5. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
6. Tune in again this week on our YouTube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for February...
Q. 5. Did our Lord Jesus Christ ever sin? A. No; he was holy, blameless, and undefiled.
