Why does God include two such different prayers in the book of Jonah? The people who pray couldn’t be more different and the form of their prayers matches who they are. The request is the same in both cases – help!
Jonah is running from God and chooses to take a sea voyage. The storm is raging and the best the sailors have to offer is not enough to get them safely back to land. They may have been idol worshippers when on land, but in the midst of the crisis they believe Jonah and cry out to his God.
“O Lord, please do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O Lord, have done as you pleased.”
Why this prayer? Why not a prayer to still the storm? These sailors seem to have a better understanding of who God is then most of us. They seem to have a stronger sense of who God is than Jonah does. They recognize that they are accountable to God and that killing a man is wrong. They recognize that God is in charge and has placed them in this situation. Out of this recognition it only makes sense to call out to God. There is no doubt that they want to storm to cease and in their minds they seem to be thinking that if they throw Jonah overboard that the storm will worsen and they will join him. Their prayer is simple and direct. It acknowledges God and His control of the situation and their prayer is answered.
Jonah’s situation is even more desperate. We don’t know if he was praying as he sank into the water and the seaweed wrapped around him. We do know that when he was engulfed in the darkness inside the fish that he does pray. Jonah’s senses must have been on overload. He can’t see, but every other sense must have been shouting, “Get me out of here!” Still, Jonah’s prayer is filled with religious phrases and a form that doesn’t seem to fit the urgency of the situation.
Maybe this is the key lesson. God still answers Jonah’s prayer, because God has something that he wants Jonah to do and Jonah is finally willing. God answers Jonah’s prayer in spite of the fact that the form of the prayer flows out of his mind and lifelong habits rather than from his heart of desperation. We know from the end of the book that Jonah doesn’t really understand God or agree with His decisions. Still God answers Job’s prayer and gives him a second chance.
Two desperate situations and two prayers. When we are in desperate circumstances we should probably look to the sailors’ prayer for guidance. What we’re learning through the Old Testament is that God often responds in spectacular ways to the simple call for help that recognizes Him as the only source of help.
Why does God include two such different prayers in the book of Jonah? The people who pray couldn’t be more different and the form of their prayers matches who they are. The request is the same in both cases – help!
Jonah is running from God and chooses to take a sea voyage. The storm is raging and the best the sailors have to offer is not enough to get them safely back to land. They may have been idol worshippers when on land, but in the midst of the crisis they believe Jonah and cry out to his God.
“O Lord, please do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O Lord, have done as you pleased.”
Why this prayer? Why not a prayer to still the storm? These sailors seem to have a better understanding of who God is then most of us. They seem to have a stronger sense of who God is than Jonah does. They recognize that they are accountable to God and that killing a man is wrong. They recognize that God is in charge and has placed them in this situation. Out of this recognition it only makes sense to call out to God. There is no doubt that they want to storm to cease and in their minds they seem to be thinking that if they throw Jonah overboard that the storm will worsen and they will join him. Their prayer is simple and direct. It acknowledges God and His control of the situation and their prayer is answered.
Jonah’s situation is even more desperate. We don’t know if he was praying as he sank into the water and the seaweed wrapped around him. We do know that when he was engulfed in the darkness inside the fish that he does pray. Jonah’s senses must have been on overload. He can’t see, but every other sense must have been shouting, “Get me out of here!” Still, Jonah’s prayer is filled with religious phrases and a form that doesn’t seem to fit the urgency of the situation.
Maybe this is the key lesson. God still answers Jonah’s prayer, because God has something that he wants Jonah to do and Jonah is finally willing. God answers Jonah’s prayer in spite of the fact that the form of the prayer flows out of his mind and lifelong habits rather than from his heart of desperation. We know from the end of the book that Jonah doesn’t really understand God or agree with His decisions. Still God answers Job’s prayer and gives him a second chance.
Two desperate situations and two prayers. When we are in desperate circumstances we should probably look to the sailors’ prayer for guidance. What we’re learning through the Old Testament is that God often responds in spectacular ways to the simple call for help that recognizes Him as the only source of help.