Please do turn back in your Bible to Jonah chapter 2, page 774, Jonah chapter 2.
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Now we've come to the thing that everyone remembers about Jonah, the big fish.
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But as we read this passage, the fish isn't the focus here, is it?
It's mentioned once at the end of chapter 1, and then a couple of times, and then a couple
of times in chapter 2, but the fish isn't the focus.
It's what's going on inside the fish.
In fact, it's what's being said inside this fish.
A prayer.
It's the cry of Jonah to God.
And as we read this, did you notice how heavy these words are?
The distress.
The deep.
The flood.
Sinking down to the bottom of the pit.
This isn't just a quick, light prayer to God.
This is a heavy prayer from a very dark place.
This is a cry from a man who has ruined his life.
A man who has made all the wrong choices, who has made disastrous decisions, whose life
choices, one after another, has led him here to this dark and hopeless place.
And now his life is falling apart.
He's at the lowest of lows.
Everything has gone wrong.
Nothing is right in his life.
And he's even on the brink of death.
You could say Jonah is just one step away from hell.
And you might be feeling like this today.
This despair.
This hopelessness.
You might be feeling like you've ruined your life and it's falling to pieces.
Well, if that is you, you're not alone.
This is not unique to Jonah.
Jonah is capturing something how we all can feel.
And why has all this come upon Jonah?
Jonah has run from God.
He's run from God and now he's feeling the effects.
When you run from God, you run into judgment.
And this is how it feels.
He's run from the goodness and favor and comfort and life of God.
And now he's in the midst of death.
He's crying out from the midst of judgment.
These are the words coming up from the heart of darkness itself.
Jonah has led himself here.
He's run to this place.
And now he's discovered the reality of what it means to run from God.
The reality of actually being away from God.
Being away from God is not a liberating place.
It's not a place of freedom.
No, being away from God is a dark place.
And this is the first point to see today.
Being away from God is a dark place.
Jonah has been running from God.
And now Jonah is getting exactly what he wants.
Look at verse 4.
Then I said, I am driven away from your sight.
Now we can never actually be out of God's sight.
God sees everyone at all times.
We can't actually hide from God.
But what Jonah means here is, I've been driven from your kindness.
From the goodness of God.
God's face and his kindness are linked in the Bible.
What do we often hear at the end of a Sunday service?
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.
The Lord lift up his countenance, his face upon you and give you peace.
When God's face shines on you, when you're in his sight, you're in his grace.
In his peace, in his favour.
And so when you're driven from God's sight, he still sees you, but his favour is gone.
You get to experience what life is actually like when God takes away all his goodness.
And that's what Jonah is experiencing right now.
And look what it's like.
Look how this prayer opens.
Verse 2.
Life without God is utter distress.
It does something to your soul.
It puts your soul in agony.
Your life falls into despair.
And so all this language Jonah is using, this isn't just describing him sinking into the sea.
Yes, he's been thrown overboard and he started to drown before the fish swallowed him.
But he's not just talking about his sinking body.
He's talking about his sinking soul.
Being away from God is a dark place for your body and your soul.
Look how Jonah is feeling.
Out of the belly of Sheol I cried.
Sheol is the place of death.
He's crying out from a place of death.
There's no enjoyment of life in him.
He's on the brink of dying.
He's staring into the dark abyss.
And look at verse 5.
He's trapped.
the water's pressing down on him bars closed up over him he's caged in the deep wrapped with seaweed
dragged to the bottom no escape he's run from gods and now he's drowning suffocating trapped
it's been a slow descent into the depths down into death down into the heart of darkness
and this is where he ran to and he's ruined his life everything seems hopeless he's become an utter
mess all his decisions have brought him here to this point he ran from god and this is where he
ended up he's made his bed and now he has to lie in it and he's in utter distress
and this is where running from god will lead you
this is the reality we can't ignore being away from god is a dark place
and this is why the world is so dark
this is why everything feels so hopeless right now we look around and it's darkness everywhere isn't it
you look around it's a society at war with each other you open up twitter and it's endless fighting
you go to the shops and you see rising food prices and and the cost of living you look and see the
teenage mental health crisis you see the corruption of our leaders you look overseas at the war and then
another war you see the flooding the earthquakes the tragedies you see a world in distress
a world descending into darkness down and down into the depths closing in and trapping you and it feels
like we're all drowning
this world
this world ran from god and now it's getting what it wants
you want to be away from god
this is what you get
look around at the world this is what happens when god removes his favor
when we're driven away from his sight
being away from god is a dark place
and we're living in it right now
and maybe you don't even need to look at the world to know that
maybe you're feeling this in your life right now
maybe like jonah you feel like you've ruined your life
you've made a disaster for yourself you look back on the past and you see all the decisions you've made
but all the wrong choices all the foolish things you've done and it's brought you here to today
and you think i've ruined my life
it's all over i'm trapped now
i can't escape my past
i'm entangled in where i've run to
and now i'm just sinking
and it feels hopeless
my life is fainting away
and now you find yourself in a very dark place
physically
mentally
spiritually
and you hear jonah's cry
and you think that's me
well this passage
is here to help you
this passage is here
to first help you understand what's going on in your life
god gives meaning to everything
to the good and to the bad
and so we can't truly understand our distress and our darkness without god
and so jonah helps us realize what's going on
and it's sobering to hear
if you feel like you've run from god
and you've ruined your life
what you're experiencing right now
this is not just the effects of making bad choices
you're experiencing the effects
of running away from god
of being driven from his sight
from his favor
the sinful decisions we make in life
and the disasters that follow
and the darkness where it leads us
all that is not just a hiccup in life
they're not just unfortunate circumstances
that we happen to fall into
all those moments
are us running away from god
and when we do
we feel its effects
we feel the darkness
because being away from god
is a dark place
but did you notice
all this distress
in jonah's life
is not only his own doing
did you notice
it's actually
from the lord
the lord has thrown jonah
into this distress
and this is the second thing we need to see today
the lord throws us into distress
so don't miss god's involvement
in all this
end of chapter one
the lord appointed the fish
chapter two verse two
for you cast me into the deep
all your waves and your billows
passed over me
and think back to chapter one
where did this whole storm come from
the lord hurled a great wind on jonah
so who brought this disaster on jonah
well in one sense jonah did
jonah ran and this is where he ran to
he brought this on himself
but who really brought this on jonah
god
this distress
this darkness
this ruined life
this is not just random
this is not just the way things are
no
it is all
from god
now this isn't easy to hear
and we will see what this does and doesn't mean in a moment
but
but this is what we need to hear
it's what the book of jonah is clear about
the distress
falling on jonah's life
the judgment he has run into
it's from god
god is in control of it
god has ordained it
it's all part of god's plan
the lord throws us into distress
and this is clear in the book of jonah
and this is clear in the whole bible
in isaiah 45
listen to how god describes himself
it's striking
listen to this
god says
i form light
and i create darkness
i make well-being
and create calamity
i am the lord who does all these things
or think about job
when job's life falls apart
what does job confess
the lord gave
and the lord has taken away
blessed be the name of the lord
god
is the one who brings his judgment
on the world that runs from him
and so just like jonah
when we run from god
and fall into sin
and we have to live with the consequences of our sin
that is from god
god is the one who throws us into distress
now let's also be clear here
god is not the author of sin
god does not sin when he does this
god cannot sin
no distress and calamity and darkness
that is god's righteous and wise judgment on the world
judgment on sin
when we run away from god
when we're away from his presence
and we've run into
darkness
and distress
we need to know
that is from god
now this isn't easy to hear
we might not like this at first
but we need to be humble here
because we really need to see
why god throws us into distress
the lord throws us into distress
for a purpose
in fact
it's for an incredibly merciful purpose
suffering
is god's megaphone in our life
that he uses
to call us back to him
it's what he did in jonah's life
and it's what he's doing in your life
suffering is god's megaphone
and this is my final point today
suffering is god's megaphone
so listen to c.s lewis here
c.s lewis wrote this
and it really captures what's going on in jonah
he writes
we can ignore even pleasure
but pain
insists upon being attended to
god whispers to us
in our pleasures
speaks in our conscience
but shouts in our pains
it is his megaphone
to rouse a deaf world
do you hear what he's saying
suffering is god's megaphone
in our lives
to rouse us
to wake us up
when we're running away from god
and we encounter the effects of that
the suffering
the distress
when our lives start falling apart
that is god stopping us in our tracks
and calling us to turn back to him
and we can see this in jonah
as he runs from god in the opposite direction
all this distress and darkness
is god's megaphone in his life
blaring into his life
because look how he responds to it
verse 2
i called out to the lord
out of my distress
and he answered me
and look at verse 7
when my life was fainting away
i remembered the lord
and my prayer came to you
into your holy temple
from his distress
jonah heard god calling
he heard the megaphone
and jonah called back
that's what this prayer is
in fact
this prayer wouldn't exist
if god never threw him
into distress
in the first place
just think
imagine jonah ran away from god
toward tarshish
in the opposite direction
and imagine
god never did anything
imagine that
he just let jonah run
in fact
imagine god rewarded jonah
jonah got on the ship
and it was blue skies
and warm and easy sailing
he got to tarshish
bought a house
found a wife
had a great life
forgetting about god
he was healthy
earned loads
then he grew old
and he died with a smile
on his face
what if god never did anything
jonah would have had
an easy life
but his next life
would be very dark
he would come
face to face
with the one
he's been running from
the whole time
but that doesn't happen
in his ruined life
this darkness
this distress
what is happening
he hears god's megaphone
he hears the call of god
and it wakes him up
it stops him in his tracks
and this
is god's mercy
god doesn't let him run
god doesn't give him
the easy life
the lord is so merciful
he blares his megaphone
into jonah's life
and jonah hears it
he hears god's mercy
in his need
he realises
i can't run
i see what my life
has become
without god
this mess
this disaster
and i can't run
he realises this
which makes him see
the one who can save him
look what he cries
at the end of this prayer
salvation belongs to the lord
lord in my ruined life
i can only come to you
you're my only hope
salvation belongs to the lord
what has happened here
the lord has brought him back
and it wouldn't have happened
without this distress
this has all been god's mercy
and this goes for all of us
whatever darkness
or despair
or distress
you are going through
that is god's megaphone
in his
in your life
calling you to turn to god
and cling to him
cry out to him
if you have been running away from god
and you look at your life
and it's a disaster
you think i've ruined my life
i've made a mess
there's no hope
if you're thinking that
that means there is hope
because what you're hearing
is god's megaphone
god is not distant right now
in your life
he's in your life right now
and he's calling you
calling you to come back
maybe you've been running
your whole life
or maybe you grew up as a christian
and then you started running
wherever you are
god is calling you back
from darkness
and he's warning you
of a worse darkness to come
god is so merciful
he's not letting you be satisfied
with your life
and it may be hard to hear
but you need to realise
that is god's mercy
in your life
and so now is the time
be like jonah
and cry out to god
cry to him to save you
pray to god
to take your soul
out of darkness
and when you do
he will always hear you
he will answer you
and he will save you
i called out to the lord
out of my distress
and he answered me
out of the belly of sheol
i cried
and you heard my voice
the lord
hears the cries
of a ruined life
and he answers
with even more mercy
he answers
by forgiving
all your sins
the mess you made
the sins you've committed
all that running from god
when you cry out to him
he forgives it all
all your past
he will show you
mercy
now that
won't mean
all your problems
will disappear
but it means
he will save you
from a worse darkness
if you turn to god now
your running will end
and you will be back
with your god
your soul
will be safe forever
now there might
there may be quite a few
people here thinking
but hold on
i haven't been
like jonah
i haven't run
from god
i'm not living
in the consequences
of my own sin
i've been faithful
to him
i've done what
he's told me
but i'm still
suffering
i'm still going
through so much
look at my life
i haven't run
from god
but i'm still
in a dark place
well if that's you
again this won't be
easy to hear
but it's what we need
to hear
the suffering
you are going
through
is still
god's megaphone
in your life
god doesn't punish
his children
he doesn't bring
judgment
on the people
he saved
but he always
shows us
mercy
and that mercy
can at times
come in the form
of suffering
mercy can come
as darkness
and distress
in our lives
and god
brings that
into our lives
for a really
wise and
merciful purpose
so that we
would cling
to him
all the more
so that we
would remember
him
we would
remember he
is there
and we would
cry out to
him
so that we
would rely
on him
all the more
so that we
would not
be content
with the
comfort of
this life
so that we
would not
look to
anything else
to strengthen
us or save
us but
so that we
would look
to our
merciful god
and say
salvation
belongs to
the lord
and the lord
alone
you are my
only hope
in this life
lord
lord my
body is in
pain and
my heart
is broken
but you
are the one
who saves
you are the
lord who
will one
day bring
me out
of this
the lord
is refining
you
it may feel
like you're
being punished
or like that
god has left
you
but please
say that is
not the
case
god is in
your life
right now
his mercy
is in your
life and it
takes great
faith to see
that
your suffering
is god's
megaphone and
he's calling
you to long
for the lord's
salvation
he's calling
you to
hope for the
day when he
will bring you
out of this
pit he's
calling you
to hope for
the resurrection
look how
jonah 2
ends
and the lord
spoke to the
fish and it
vomited jonah
out upon the
dry land
he was on
the brink of
death crushed
under the ocean
in the heart
of darkness
and god placed
him back on
dry land
he felt the
fresh air in
his lungs
again
he felt the
stability of
dry land
again
he was given
a new start
he was given
a new life
i went down
to the land
whose bars
closed upon
me forever
yet you
brought up
my life
from the
pit
and that
is what
will happen
to everyone
who calls
out to the
lord in
their distress
you will
one day
be brought
up from
the dark
pit of
this world
the dark
pit of
your life
you will
be given
a new
start
a new
life
and we
know that
we know
that that
is coming
because it
happened to
the lord
jesus
jesus was
in the belly
of the earth
three days
in the belly
of death
but death
could not
hold him
death
spat him
back out
into new
life
a new
beginning
he was
brought up
from the
pit of
darkness
and so
for everyone
who believes
in him
you will
follow that
same path
if you've
made a
disaster
of your
life
you can
have an
actual
new
beginning
and it
comes at
the
resurrection
if you
are suffering
in your
body
it will
one day
be restored
if death
and loss
has sent
you into
a dark
place
the light
of a
new
day
is coming
and god's
megaphone
is calling
to you
now
hope
in that
hope
in
jesus
brothers
and sisters
the sufferings
of your
life
are not
random
our god
has not
abandoned
us
no in
your life
right now
he is
calling you
to keep
going
to keep
relying on
him
and to
hope
in the
resurrection
hope
in that
day
the day
that you
will finally
be brought
up from
this pit
and so
we have
a really
big decision
to make
with our
suffering
it is
always
god's
megaphone
but the
question is
what will
you do
with it
will you
let it
drive you
from god
or
will you
use it
to cling
to him
all the
more
to cry
to him
because he's
calling you
his mercy
is in your
life right
now for
everyone
whose life
is ruined
who is in
the heart
of darkness
there is a
hope
there is a
salvation
for you
salvation
belongs
to the
lord
let me
pray