Jonah prayed to the Lord's within the belly of the fish. He had been cast into the deep of the sea by the sailor's because of his sin against God was causing the sailors trouble. If you did read the first chapter sometime this month you need to go back and read it. I mentioned at some point his month.

Jonah is sink in the deep troublesome water when a fish God prepared had swallowed him. He felt the tanglement of the seaweed around his head, he felt his body touch the bottom of the sea, only to think he would die in the bottom of the sea. He thought he was cast out of God's sight then he seen the Holy mountain and the temple of God, whether vision or metaphor it matters not, he was experience potential ideal of death, only to know God brought his life out of corruption of the sea. His life saved by the fish God had prepared to swallow him. He felt faint and then he remember God and began to pray towards God's Holy temple. Those that observe or desire their own vanities forsake the mercy of God has Jonah had desire not to preach to Nineveh and found himself in the belly of a fish. He found he would sacrifice the offering of praise to God and make vows to the God of His salvation. And with his prayers God spoke to that prepared fish and the fish vomited Jonah onto dry land.

This story demonstrates the mercy of God in the belly of the fish, in the the storm at sea. Jonah had to come to a place of his own need of repentance in that belly, that need of God's mercy before he could reach out and seek the Lord. He felt all the things around him trying to take him to his death, but he is given the first human sub called a fish that would swallow him up and take him to dry land.

God was not done with Jonah, but Jonah was going to get shaken to the core of his being, or enough to bring not only repentance but him seeking the kingdom of God and his mercy. People at fifty often experienced some type of close call in their life, whether they can recall it or not. How many claim the grace of God in their life, how many can say they repented and they seen the mercy of God in their life? How many without a close call seen the mercy of God in their life?

I struggle with my own blindness at times of God's mercy. We live in a world that changes and a person can get far sighted to their own mortality. Every funeral, every death, every accident witness, or unwitnessed, but heard about, and near death by friends only reminds a person of their own mortality, that is often shelved to the next event, never given though to God's love and mercy of each day we need to be thankful for.

Jonah has his story continues will forget God's mercy in his life by chapter four. Yet what we sometimes fail to understand God's mercy and grace is extended to all people whether they willing receive it or not. God's mercy and grace is freely given. God's grace is hand out to the non believer and hand up to the believer. Can we show the same mercy to others that God has shown to us. Christ own death caused by man's insurrection demonstrates through his resurrection God's mercy on even his only begotten Son. Jesus did not commit a crime that was worthy of death. He paid the price of Barabbas sin of killing in the insurrection.

Why did God not punish Moses for killing when the people sinned and worshipped the molten calf? He paid no price for the killing, but he worried about the sin of killing. The point being that he ask God to show mercy on those he killed before he knew the crime that the people committed. When Moses came off Mount Sinai, and seen what was happened, the ten commandments were broken, and the people were killed for the sin of idolatry. They were given a choice to who they were going to bow too.

The choices we make is often effects the mercy of God on our life. Jonah was repented, he would go to Nineveh when God spoke to him again in chapter 3 of Jonah. God's instructions/word is broken but God is able to raise it up again. Jonah would be in the belly of the fish three days only to go preach. Jesus would rise on the third day only to come out and preach once more about the love of his Father. Christ church is built on the ability of God to raise his word and resurrect his Son back up.

With the molten calf destory the people of faith would be restored to God. Sometimes our anger has to reach the heighth of heaven for us to be knock down and without God's word, but are restored with using the power of prayer to get rid of the anger, the resentment of not understanding God's will for our life. To feel what man feels injust from God sometimes has to be destroyed in our hearts by the return of hearing the word of God, to know the justice and mercy of God. God's word must return to destroy the resentment of our anger when we feel things are injust. God's word must over come our own right mindness of all situations.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the example of Jonah near death experience to know you mercy when we return to your will and direction in our life, through praise and worship coming first. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: Acts 13:27-41 KJV
27 For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him.
28 And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain.
29 And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre.
30 But God raised him from the dead:
31 And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people.
32 And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,
33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.
34 And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.
35 Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
36 For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:
37 But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.
38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
40 Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets;
41 Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.