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Honest Prayers
Jonah 2
Now the Lord
a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.—Jonah 1:17 (NIV)
How do we respond to distress?
Complain
Worry
Pray
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.’”—Jonah 2:1-9 (NIV)
What we can draw from Jonah’s prayer is that He
An
Honest Prayer
Pour out your heart to God and be
About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”)—Matthew 27:46 (NIV)
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish?—Psalm 22:1 (NIV)
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.—Psalm 51:17 (NIV)Approach God with
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…”—Matthew 6:9 (NIV)
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.—Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)Praise God with
We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him…—Romans 8:28 (NIV)
My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.— 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)
Even when we don’t get the response we want from an honest prayer,
And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.—Jonah 2:10 (NIV)
He [Jesus] answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth…”—Matthew 12:39-40 (NIV)
When Jonah was unable to save himself,
Next Week: Jonah 3
Discussion Questions
- What stood out to you most from Jonah’s prayer in Jonah 2:1–9, and why? How did his prayer reflect both honesty and reverence?
- The message mentioned three common responses to distress: complaining, worrying, and praying. Which of those do you most often default to, and how can you begin to shift toward more prayer?
- What does it mean to you to pray an “honest prayer”? Why do you think we sometimes hesitate to be fully honest with God?
- Jonah’s prayer echoes the Psalms. How does Scripture help shape the way we pray, especially in hard seasons? Does seeing how others honestly prayed in the Bible, like David and Paul, make you feel better about the emotions you experience when in distress?
- In what ways can remembering who God is—His character and His faithfulness—transform the way we pray?
- What does verse 10 show us about God’s power and timing in answering prayer? How might that challenge your expectations about how God should respond in your own life?
- How does Jonah’s time in the belly of the fish point us to the death and resurrection of Jesus? How does Jonah’s story—and the message of salvation through Jesus—encourage you today?