When You Hit Rock Bottom, Dial 911 | Randy Frazee | Don't be a Jonah
Going Deeper
Read: Jonah 2:1-10
1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. 2 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.
3 You hurled me into the depths,
into the very heart of the seas,
and the currents swirled about me;
all your waves and breakers
swept over me.
4 I said, ‘I have been banished
from your sight;
yet I will look again
toward your holy temple.’
5 The engulfing waters threatened me,
the deep surrounded me;
seaweed was wrapped around my head.
6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down;
the earth beneath barred me in forever.
But you, Lord my God,
brought my life up from the pit.
7 “When my life was ebbing away,
I remembered you, Lord,
and my prayer rose to you,
to your holy temple.
8 “Those who cling to worthless idols
turn away from God’s love for them.
9 But I, with shouts of grateful praise,
will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good.
I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’”
10 And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
Have you ever been in "the belly of the fish?" What was the situation? Did you call out to God right away or did it take you some time?
Why do you think God at times allows you to be "engulfed in the waves?"
Verse 8 says, "those who cling to worthless idols turned away from God's love for them." What examples do you have for that in our present-day?
It appears that perhaps Jonah was able to proclaim, "salvation comes from the Lord" while still in the belly of the fish. What is the significance of that? How could that translate to your own life story?
Teaching Notes
Are you one who think this is a big fish tale?
There are three species of fish that can take in a whole man – Sperm Shark, Whale Shark, and the White Shark (National Geographic)
How could Jonah survive after three days?
Natural Law – it has been well established that the phrase "three days and three nights" in ancient Hebrew usage was an idiomatic expression meaning simply “three days,” and was applicable even if the beginning and ending days of the period were only partial days.
Miracle – God is involved as the creator of the universe. He created it all and therefore can interrupt the natural laws he created to accomplish his purposes.
Resurrection – Jonah prays in the belly of the fish and then dies. When he is vomited back onto dry land he is resuscitated by divine CPR.
Jesus understand Jonah’s story as literal not allegorical.
“For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
Matthew 12:40
You can still dismiss Jonah’s experience and still possess eternal life, but you cannot dismiss Jesus’ resurrection.
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Romans 10:9
Are you in the belly of a fish right now?
Some of us learn at Yale University, some at Whale University
When you hit bottom, dial 911 and God will always pick up.
1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. 2 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.
3 You hurled me into the depths,
into the very heart of the seas,
and the currents swirled about me;
all your waves and breakers
swept over me.
4 I said, ‘I have been banished
from your sight;
yet I will look again
toward your holy temple.’
5 The engulfing waters threatened me,
the deep surrounded me;
seaweed was wrapped around my head.
6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down;
the earth beneath barred me in forever.Jonah 2:1-6a
But you, Lord my God,
brought my life up from the pit.7 “When my life was ebbing away,
I remembered you, Lord,
and my prayer rose to you,
to your holy temple.Jonah 2:6b-7
“Before you can get back on the ‘playing field’, you have to first get back on the ‘praying field’”.
Those who cling to worthless idols
turn away from God’s love for them.But I, with shouts of grateful praise,
will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good.
I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’”Jonah 2:8-9
And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
Jonah 2:10
Sunday Set List
WFC Online/WFC Lenexa
We Praise You- Bethel Music feat./Brandon Lake
See A Victory- Elevation Worship
Peace Be Still- The Belonging Co. feat./Lauren Daigle
WFC Speedway
Graves Into Gardens- Elevation Worship feat./Brandon Lake
Nothing Else- Cody Caries
Death Was Arrested- North Point Worship
Goodness of God- Bethel Music feat./Jen Johnson
Be sure to follow our Spotify Worship Playlist, updated weekly with the upcoming Sunday’s set!