God At The End Of Our Rope
Jonah 2 is a prayer from rock bottom. After running from God, Jonah finds himself sinking deep into the worst moment of his life. And yet unlike Jonah, our worst moments don’t have to harden us. If we allow them to, we can find humility, clarity and a hope that can only be found at the end of our rope.
Have you ever felt like your life has hit the bottom?
“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. 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. I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’ The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever.”
Jonah 2:6b-7a NIV
Admit that you are powerless.
Alcoholics Annonymous
“The genius of the Twelve Step program is that it situates powerlessness and surrender right where they belong—at the beginning. They teach us that sin and addiction are overcome not by willpower, but by surrendering to a Power greater than ourselves.”
Richard Rohr, Breathing Under Water
None of us go to the place of powerlessness on our own accord. We have to be taken there. Sad to say it, but it is largely sin, humiliation, failure, and various forms of addiction that do the job. Sometimes, having ruined your marriage, your children, your job, or your sterling self-image, you have to say, “My way isn’t working.”
Richard Rohr, The Power Of Powerlessness
It’s possible to like and admire and believe in Jesus, but not need Him.
We want the breakthrough without the breaking.
But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit. “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord…
Jonah 2:6b-7a NIV
“The point of Christian memory is not nostalgia, but to inhabit the story so that the past becomes a living reality shaping the present and the future.”
N.T. Wright, The Meal Jesus Gave Us
“Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. 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 2:8-9 NIV
Nineveh needed repentance. But so did Jonah.
The same things can either harden us or humble us.
“I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages.”
Charles Spurgeon
At the bottom of the oceean, Jonah encounters his powerlessness. Powerlessness is the first step of the 12 steps (made famous by Alcoholics Anonymous). Why do you think coming to the end of ourselves is so central to our spiritual journey?
19th century preacher Charles Spurgeon famously wrote: “I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages.” What hard moment or season in your story helped you see God in a way you couldn’t otherwise?