Sooooo… Did anyone besides my friend Jennifer realize I skipped Jonah last week? I sure didn’t. And I double-checked. When Word Wednesday started, I knew mixing something up was inevitable. I’m surprised it took this long to happen. 🙂 Anyway, this week we are in Jonah (which comes before Micah) and next week will be Nahum. So, take a glance at Jonah–it’s a short book–and drop into the comments to tell us what verse speaks to you!
Jonah 2:2 (NIV)–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.”
This verse is one of the reasons I love Word Wednesday so much. There are verses that sink into me for a season, but then they sort of drift away when the season is gone. This one deserves to be tattoed on my forehead or something, because it is the story of my deliverance. When I was going through that ten-year season of fear, I cried out so many times for God to deliver me. There were times I figured He had reason to leave me in my very own whale belly. But after ten years, He set me fully, totally free! Completely. If this verse doesn’t demonstrate that, then nothing does. I cried out, He answered me, and He delivered me from some very deep depths. It’s such love.
Know my favorite part? It’s not that He heard me… It’s that He listened to me. Very big difference there, huh? Our God not only hears our cries, He turns His ear to us and deliberately listens. Imagine that. The Lord of All Creation pays attention to us. There’s not a more amazing truth in the universe than that!
-JB
Dawn Lucowitz says
I am having a hard time putting my thoughts into words on this one, but will try my best to make sense.
Two times in Jonah, The Lord asked him “Have you any right to be angry?” That seems like such a simple question. It makes me think about some of the emotions I have sometimes and how I react to them. One time I was at lunch with a friend and her son was throwing a “fit” and she asked him, “do you even know why you are crying?” It totally made her son stop and think about it and he stopped crying. Even though he is only three and I am thirty two, It made me think tons and tons too
Jonah 4:10 says “You have been concerned about his vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. “
I guess this verse made me think about my perspective. It makes me think about how I react, but more importantly how I overreact. My husband is getting ready to return from a deployment, and although it is an awesome and happy time, it is totally stressful and challenging too. I am someone that likes to always be right and can’t just let little things go. I pray that as we reunite I can remember this verse and think about my emotions. I need to think about why I get frustrated and angry and realize that I don’t necessarily have a “right” to feel that way. And, if I do feel that way, I need to not react in a way that will cause more problems.
Jodie says
A hard, hard verse. Well, both of them are hard. I’m like you, I need to remember. Some of the things I blow up about are things I really need to take a deep breath and give to God. A lot of times it has nothing to do with me. My initial responses could use a lot of work!
Jason says
I’m glad that He heard your cry. 🙂
Jodie says
Thanks, Jason. Praying He answers yours soon as well!
Jen says
Jonah 2:8- “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.”
Ouch. This one took my breath away the first time I read it, and I think it all comes back to that issue of pride that I wrote about a few weeks ago. I have a bad habit of thinking I know what’s best for my life, but in my dertermination to do my own thing, I miss out on SO much that God wants to do for me. I’m getting better, but wow…. there are definitely “worthless idols” that still keep me from experiencing the grace He wants to offer.
Jodie says
Oh, how many worthless idols there are. And when you think that EVERYTHING is worthless in comparison to Him? Then it gets even more amazing.