Read Jonah 2:1-10.

Focus Verse: “And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land” (v. 10).

Have you ever had a bad day? Maybe two of three in a row? After three days and nights in the belly of a great fish, the prophet Jonah had probably never been so glad to see dry land in all of his life even though it meant lying in a puddle of whale vomit! Although the rest of his story raises some serious questions about his continuing attitude towards the job that God had given him, he clearly experienced a miraculous deliverance. This began when his affliction made him remember the Lord and cry out to him. He knew the only source where he could find salvation and made his petition, which was followed by God’s answer to his prayer.

Hopefully, none of us find ourself in this type of situation, brought on by our own refusal to obey God’s clearly revealed will. But if we do, like Jonah, we will discover that our only hope for salvation is to cry out to the one who can control the great fish of our lives with just a word. (Stephen Smith)

“Before Thy throne, O God, we kneel;
Give us a conscience quick to feel,
A ready mind to understand
The meaning of Thy chastening hand;
Whate’er the pain and shame may be,
Bring us, O Father, nearer Thee.” (William B. Carpenter)