Below the Mountains

I love the story of Jonah. Not because he is this inspiring hero or because of the whale but because Jonah’s story is so human. God tasked Jonah to preach repentance to the people of Ninevah (the enemies of the people of God). Jonah wanted nothing to do with that. Knowing God’s nature, Jonah knew that if the people repented God would forgive them and he wanted nothing to do with that. Jonah did not want the people of Ninevah to receive mercy nor did he think they deserved it. In other words, he thought he was a better arbiter of God’s grace and mercy than God Himself. So, Jonah decided to go in the opposite direction and directly ignore God’s commands. It didn’t work out well for Jonah. He ultimately found himself in the belly of a giant fish at the bottom of the sea. It is in this moment that Jonah prays what is in my opinion one of the most honest and beautiful prayers of the Bible.

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.
But you, Lord my God,
    brought my life up from the pit.

“When my life was ebbing away,
    I remembered you, Lord,
and my prayer rose to you,
    to your holy temple.

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 is pleading with God for forgiveness and mercy. Jonah is incredibly aware only God can save him from the situation his decision has placed him. Throughout his prayer, Jonah describes his distress and situation. He cries for help from the realms of the dead and God heard him. Jonah states that he understands that he has been banished from the presence of the Lord for his decision but the only place he knows to look to for help is Jehovah.

In the middle of his prayer Jonah proclaims:

To the roots of the mountains I sank down;
    the earth beneath barred me in forever.
But you, Lord my God,
    brought my life up from the pit.

Jonah’s sin to directly disobey God had led him to the depths of the world – below the roots of the mountains. He knows it. Unless God saves him, he will be barred from life and will die there at the bottom of the ocean. But it appears, God has answered Jonah in the middle of his prayer because Jonah then emphatically states:

But you, Lord my God,
    brought my life up from the pit.

God was going to bring his life back from the pits of the world – from the depths of the mountains in the ocean. God forgave Jonah and saved him.

We get ourselves into trouble all the time with our decisions. We think we know better than God like Jonah. We directly ignore and disobey him like Jonah. And oftentimes when we do this, we find ourselves at the bottom of our life’s figurative ocean. Like Jonah, we feel like our life has sunk to the bottom of the ocean mountains. We are engulfed by darkness and the waters of trouble and turbulence. And in our hearts, we know the only one who can save us from the situation we’ve put ourselves in is God. So, while we know we’ve broken the relationship, we still cry out to God hoping He will forgive us and save us.

Jonah’s story shows us that there is no depth – no pit – no mountain cave that God cannot save you from. There is no figurative pit that God can not pull your life out from. The giant fish took Jonah to the depths of this world and there He sat in the belly of that fish for 3 days – praying to God to forgive him and to save him. Jonah knew two things:

🏔️ Only God could save him from this situation.

🏔️ God would save him if he repented.

Do you find yourself surrounded by the deep waters? Do you feel as though your life has sunk to the bottom of the mountains? You won’t be able to get out of that place alone. There is only one who can bring your life up from the pit of darkness – only God can save you.

Repent and turn to God like Jonah. God will bring your life back from the depths of mountains. #mountainsofGod #MountaineeringForGod