“Intro to “The Marks of a Penitent Prayer (PT-1) (Jonah 2:1-4)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/29/2025 10:14 AM

My Worship Time                                Focus:  “Intro to “The Marks of a Penitent Prayer (PT-1)

Bible Reading and Meditation                                                                   Reference: Jonah 2:1-4

            Message of the verse:  “Then Jonah prayed to Yahweh His God from the stomach of the fish, and he said,

“I called out of my distress to Yahweh,

And He answered me.

I cried for help from the belly of Sheol’

You heard my voice.

For You had cast me into the deep,

Into the heart of the seas,

And the current surrounded me.

All Your breakers and waves passed over me.

So I said, ‘I have been driven away from Your sight.

Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple.

            I will now quote from this introduction to these first four verses of Jonah two from what John MacArthur writes as he introduces the beginning of this second chapter of Jonah.

            “Through church history, believers have often kept journals to record their progress through this life.  From David Brainerd to Jonathan Edwards to Jim Elliot, the diaries of faithful missionaries, pastors, and theologians provide a treasure chest of wisdom for subsequent generations.  Their experiences provide real-life insight into the sanctification process, including times of high spiritual joy and victory as well as low seasons of dryness and defeat.  With honesty and truth, the personal testimonies of saints now in heaven serve as a compelling encouragement to those who follow in their footsteps (cf. Heb. 12:1-2).

            “The second chapter of Jonah essentially serves as the prophet’s spiritual journal, depicting the depts. of divine discipline that prompted Jonah’s impassioned prayer of commission and ran the opposite way, seeking to escape God’s presence.  After boarding a ship bound for Tarshish, he fell into a deep sleep, only to awaken in the raging reality of God’s fierce displeasure. He was confronted for his slumber, exposed as the guilty party, and cast into the stormy sea where certain death awaited.  But the Lord spared the life of His prodigal prophet.  Entombed in the stomach of a fish, Jonah came to his senses as he reflected on the recklessness of his rebellion. His prayer of contrition recorded in Jonah 2 uses the language of the Psalms to express genuine penitence before the Lord.

            “In the utter darkness of the deep, incarcerated in a monstrous fish, Jonah exhibited five hallmarks of a penitent prayer.  First, he recognized his humble condition (Jonah 2:1).  Second, he expressed a heartfelt cry for mercy (2:1).  Third, he made an honest confession regarding the consequences of his sin, acknowledging that his sin distanced him from Yahweh (2:3-4).  Fourth, he prayed with hope-filled confidence in God alone to rescue and restore him 2:5-7).  Finally, he responded with a heart of consecration, eager to turn from idols to worship and serve Yahweh without equivocation (2:8-9).  The first three hallmarks of Jonah’s prayer will be considered in this chapter.  Though Jonah was far from a model prophet—marked at times by petulance, prejudice, and pride (cf. 4:1-2)—his penitent prayer from the belly of the fish serves as a template for any sinner seeking forgiveness and restoration from God.”

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I have to say that I am not found of small places, and perhaps Jonah had a lot of room in the belly of this great fish, but I can’t imagine being where he was for as long as he was there, but it seems that the Lord gave abundant grace and mercy to him just when he needed it the most.  All believers will face these kind of things in their life, and I am facing one of the with my dear wife who has cancer and the treatment for this awful disease is not going to be pleasant for her, and for me as the one who will care for her, but this I do know that God is in charge and in the end will bring glory to Himself as He takes care of her and also me as we go through this trial together, with the help of our Lord.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to trust the Lord to teach me through this trial we are now in.

            I don’t know if these Spiritual Diaries are similar to what John MacArthur writes about at the beginning of this chapter on Jonah, but I do believe that the Lord has called me to write them and to put them onto the internet for others to read.

9/29/2025 10:43 AM