I Remembered You (Jonah 2:7)

 


Tuesday, November 12, 2024


Psalm 31

Jonah 2

Revelation 3:7-13


Observance: Charles Simeon, evangelist (d. 1836)


I Remembered You (Jonah 2:7)


This section of Jonah sounds very much like a “greatest hits” from the book of Psalms. Depending on the Bible you are reading from, you may have glanced at the cross-references and noticed that this prayer of Jonah is filled with quotes and allusions from the Psalms.


It is difficult to read the Bible and not get a sense of how much the Psalms permeate every other book. The Psalms are, to put it as concisely as possible, prayers designed to be sung, which is another way of saying they demonstrate how we are to communicate with God.


In Jonah’s prayer, we note several themes: firstly, Jonah is bluntly honest about his situation. If you were to read this passage without any modernist biases, you get the impression that he actually died down in the ocean; or if not totally dead, then very close to it. He is not a very happy chappy, and he is not afraid to tell God about it.


Another theme that Jonah brings out in his prayer is that he is confident that God is listening to him. Prayer is never a waste of time: “From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry.” Up on dry land, or down under the seaweed of the sea floor, God is there, ready to talk with us in prayer.


Finally, Jonah is absolutely confident that God will rescue him. He had no right to demand this from God; he has been a very naughty boy in his disobedience. But he knows that if he returns to God he will, like the Prodigal Son, be welcomed with open arms, dressed in fine clothes, a ring placed on his finger, with a great feast served in honour of his repentance.


If these are the themes of the Psalms, and the Psalms are meant to be sung, then this surely is the greatest inspiration for music ever given to humankind. God is completely open and honest and prefers it when we are open and honest with him; God is always near and ready to talk; God will always welcome us home if we ask. This is Jonah’s prayer; this is the song of the Psalms; this is the symphony embodied in the incarnation, death, resurrection and ascension of Christ Jesus.


What song will you have on your lips today?


Lord, you answer us when we call to you in distress, you bring our lives up from the pit, and our salvation comes from you. Put a song of thanksgiving on our lips, the song of the Lord Jesus and his love for us.

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