Jonah 2:1-3 (NKJV)

Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the fish’s belly. And he said:

“I cried out to the LORD because of my affliction,
And He answered me.

“Out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
And You heard my voice.
For You cast me into the deep,
Into the heart of the seas,
And the floods surrounded me;
All Your billows and Your waves passed over me.”

The Bible doesn’t directly record the events from when Jonah hit the water until the fish swallowed him. Instead, we learn them from Jonah’s prayer of thanksgiving. Presumably that’s because this is how Jonah, who wrote this book, remembers it. The prayer is what sticks out in his mind. There’s a lesson in that.

In a way, much of Jonah’s prayer sounds silly. What’s the point of reciting what just happened? Is he telling God something He doesn’t already know?

Of course not. But a prayer of thanksgiving loses something if you don’t say what you’re thankful for.

Besides, this recitation helps Jonah organize his thoughts and remember them.

We do well to pray the way Jonah did. When thanking God for answered prayer, it’s proper to recite the events. That glorifies God, while it helps us recall and celebrate what the Lord has done for us.

But for major answered prayer, we can take this further. You may never experience anything as dramatic as Jonah’s answered prayer, but it’s not the drama of an event that matters; it’s the impact.

Every Christian has had their life transformed by God at least once. So, you have the material to compose your own prayer of praise.

We all have prayers we recite, such as the Lord’s Prayer. We should each have our own, personal, “Jonah Prayer” that praises God specifically for how He has blessed and/or rescued us.

Of course, Jonah is a prophet and can fire off great prayers like this one on the fly. Mary’s Magnificat is similarly inspired. Same for Zechariah’s song.

We probably need to be more deliberate, even working from a rough draft. Editing a prayer as if you’re preparing a speech is unusual, but some things deserve something special.

Reciting, your very own Jonah Prayer is a magnificent way to praise God. Or you could sing it.

All the weekly study guides, which include all five devotionals plus related questions for discussion or meditation, are available for download here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies

The Job book is on Amazon and is eligible for Amazon Prime. The Kindle edition will be out soon.

https://www.amazon.com/Higher-Purposes-Lesson-God-Job/dp/1684719534