When I was in trouble, [Lord],
I prayed to you,
and you listened to me.
From deep in the world
of the dead,
I begged for your help,
and you answered my prayer.
You threw me down
to the bottom of the sea.
The water was churning
all around;
I was completely covered
by your mighty waves.
I thought I was swept away
from your sight,
never again to see
your holy temple.
I was almost drowned
by the swirling waters
that surrounded me.
Seaweed had wrapped
around my head.
I had sunk down deep
below the mountains
beneath the sea.
I knew that forever,
I would be a prisoner there.
But, you, [Lord] God,
rescued me from that pit.
When my life was slipping away,
I remembered you—
and in your holy temple
you heard my prayer.
Jonah 2:2-7
Do you find it hard to pray? Are there distractions every time you bow your head and begin to address the Lord? Do you want to become a man or woman of prayer who comes to the Lord with great earnestness and passion?
Here is the easiest way to improve your prayer life. Run away from God, let yourself be thrown overboard in a storm and be swallowed by a great fish. I can pretty much guarantee that the prayer you utter from the belly of the fish will be the most urgent and sincerest prayer you have ever prayed!
Great trouble turns even the weakest in faith into men and women of prayer. Cries of "Oh God" are often heard when lives are threatened by some imminent danger.
When the threats of this life are crashing down would you rather turn to a stranger or a friend for help? There are many stories of men who did not know God, but called on Him in a time of tragedy and were lifted up by the One who created the universe. But if you already know the Lord when the trouble comes, His peace can sweep over your heart as you calmly wait to be rescued or spirited away to Heaven!
People sometimes speak of death as the time when "you meet your Maker." Jesus wants you to "Meet Your Maker" now so that when you see Him face to face there will be no fear. It is a fearful thing to die without knowing Jesus. But if you know the Lord then passing from this life to the next will simply be the final act of trust and resting in His love.
"Lord, help me to pray now like Jonah did from the belly of the great fish so that when trouble comes I will already know You. Lord You are and have always been my only hope! Help me to pray in the sunshine as if the storms were raging and pray in the daylight as if it were dark like midnight. Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen."
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