God is close in the storm

We're going to read just for the last few minutes of this afternoon's session, the Book of Jonah again, in Chapter 2, please. The Book of Jonah, Chapter 2, and I was thinking, not really intending to be the last one to speak in this afternoon's session, but I was thinking oftentimes, maybe at the end of a conference, we can leave here feeling encouraged and feeling closer with the Lord, and then maybe sometimes Monday morning rolls around and the realities of life come back in, maybe even before we get home this evening. There's a group of believers, we have a conference just next weekend in the city of San Jose where we live, and there's always a group of believers that come in a rented van, maybe an hour and a half away, and a group of maybe 15 that come from a farther away assembly.

And the enthusiasm of the believers as the conference ends and they get in that van, and on one occasion I remember the brother telling me, and one of the brothers that was in that van, even before the van reached home, already the problems and the realities of life were starting to set in for some of the believers. So hopefully even this afternoon we can see here again from the Book of Jonah, that thinking yesterday that God is in control of the storm, in the storms of our life, that we can see here as well that even in a very personal sense as we'll see here in chapter 2, that God is close in the storm and in the difficulties and the trials of life. And so we'll just read here in Jonah chapter 2 and verse number 1. And it says, Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly, and said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me.

Out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice, for thou hast cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas. And the floods compassed me about, all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight, yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.

The waters compassed me about, even to the soul. The depth closed me round about, and the weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains.

The earth with her bars was about me forever. Yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God. When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the LORD.

And my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving.

I will pay that which I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD. And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

I'd just like to think very simply in these last few moments about the reality that we encounter in this chapter of Jonah, in this prayer of Jonah, that God is very close. The very first verse of this chapter starts with a voice crying out from the depths of the sea. In a cold place, in an isolated place.

In a place of abandonment. One, it says in verse one, that he cried out to the LORD. How does the chapter end? A voice coming from heaven.

Right into the depths of the sea. The very God who created that fish that had came and swallowed Jonah. His voice was heard.

From a very dark and desperate place in his need. Yes, it took maybe more. It took these ten verses to get there.

But without fail, God's voice came. And he knew something of the presence, of the assurance that God was very close. And we see that throughout this prayer, that in the midst of the afflictions, because now the storm has ended in one way, that the waves have calmed as we saw in chapter one.

And the environment in which Jonah finds himself now may be slightly different than chapter one. In chapter one, he had those with him that he could see. He could see these other sailors.

And they were fearing the storm as well. And maybe he took some comfort, some solace in knowing, there's others here and I'm not the only one who's afraid. But here he finds himself in chapter two, in this place of loneliness, this place of despair.

He doesn't even have another human being he can look to for some form of comfort. And we find him here in the belly of this whale. And it takes him three days.

He had this time to think and to ponder. And as we have been considering that, in the storms, in the afflictions, oftentimes God is teaching us something about himself. And that's what he did in chapter one.

He taught Jonah about his sovereignty and his mercy and his salvation and his restoration. And in the midst of the dark place, at the time of affliction in our life, what is it that God desires from us? The same thing that Jonah did. He desires that we seek him.

That we cry out to him. You know, maybe you could relate to the position of Jonah. And maybe you find yourself in a place of affliction, a place of despair.

That you're just, in some senses, just keeping your head above the waves. And the difficulties and the trials of life. And what is your reaction? What is my reaction when those times come? Maybe it's a reaction of anger.

Angry with God. That God would allow this to happen to me. I think we've all been there, for honest, in our own hearts.

Maybe we come to a place of bitterness. And we hold it against God, as if God owes us something. And the bitterness that begins to arise in us and to grow.

The bitterness of our hearts. Often times, maybe we can have the reaction of self-pity. Woe is me.

That I am the only one in this earth, the only one amongst the believers that is enduring affliction. And self-pity comes in. And starts to settle in our hearts.

And we see here the reaction that God would desire from us. Not one of anger or of self-pity or of bitterness. But he hopes that we would have this call, this cry of desperation unto him.

The cry that Jonah had. And ones throughout scripture that prayed when they were afflicted. Manasseh, the king of Judah, back in the book of 2 Chronicles.

What was his reaction? It says, when he was in affliction. He besought the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. And prayed unto him and was entreated of him and heard his supplication.

And brought him again to Jerusalem, into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew. What was the result of the trials of him crying out to God? It says this, that Manasseh knew that the Lord, he was God.

Sometimes it takes the storms and the afflictions and the trials for God to remind us. Not just that he is in control, but that he is very close. And we'll see that in this chapter 2 of the book of Jonah.

The children of Israel, they would cry out as well. And it says in the book of Isaiah that, Lord, in trouble they have visited thee. And they poured out a prayer when the chief's name was upon them.

And it says, like a woman with child that draweth near in the time of her delivery. As she is in pain and crieth out in her pain, so have we been in thy sight. One crying out in desperation.

Even in spiritual pain, they cry out and it says God is there. God is close. God is listening.

The New Testament, the book of James does tell us the same thing. Is any among you afflicted? What's the advice there in that book? Grow bitter? No. If anyone is afflicted, it says this, let them know.

Let them call up to God. Many times in my whole life, I can confess to you this day that when times of difficulty can come, maybe the last thing I would desire to do is to get down on my knees and pray to God. That's what he desires of us.

That's what he desired of Jonah. And for three days and three nights, he's there and he's in that whale. And he's in that great fish.

And we see something in verse number 2 of the closeness of God. God sympathizes with the afflicted. He sympathizes with the afflicted.

Maybe you're here this afternoon, dear brother and dear sister, and you can relate to the very first words of that prayer of Jonah in verse number 2. And I cry by reason of my affliction unto the Lord. And you say, I'm afflicted. I'm in distress.

There's an anguish in my life, whatever the circumstances might be. And you can say, that's me. I've cried out to the Lord.

Maybe some of you are broken hearted. That same sense of being afflicted. And maybe you've been betrayed by someone close.

Maybe a spouse has let you down. Maybe there's a child that is far from the Lord. And you say, I've cried out to the Lord in my broken heart.

In my affliction. Maybe there's some here and you just feel an absolute sense of desperation. Desperate.

In your affliction. I just don't know what I'm going to do. Trouble at work.

Uncertainty in the future. And there's desperation and affliction upcoming. And maybe here there's some, and you can just relate to this simple word, a very easy word to understand.

And you say, I just feel hurt. I've hurt my heart. I've hurt my soul.

And you look at these words of Jonah, and in this desperation in his affliction, he says this, I cried in my affliction unto the Lord. And what was the result? What was the conclusion that Jonah had? He said this, and he heard. Praise be to God that when we cry to him in our affliction, he hears us.

He heard Jonah that day. And dear brother, dear sister, if you, in your affliction this day, if your heart would be desperate and broken, he would hear you. If you cry out to him, he sympathizes with the afflicted one.

Jonah was the one at fault. He was the one who had been disobedient. Really, the affliction in his life were the result of his own choices, of his own disobedience.

And yet, even then, God in his compassion, in his goodness, and in his grace, seeing a disobedient servant confessing, desiring to be restored. It says he heard me. He heard me in my affliction.

The exhortation of this chapter and of the word of God really to cry out to him. That there is no point we can come, there is no depth that we can be in too deep. Jonah in the very depths of the sea, the depths of disobedience had brought him there.

Even there. He said he heard me. The Lord heard me.

David experienced it in his life. He would say he had not despised nor abhorred. The affliction of the afflicted.

Neither had he hid his face from him. But when he cried unto him, this was David's conclusion. The same conclusion Jonah came to.

But when he cried unto him. The afflicted in his afflictions, he said this. Very simple words.

He heard me. He heard me. That is the reaction of our Lord, of our God.

When we cry out to him in our affliction. He hears us. Psalm 142 would say that title across that psalm that would give us the context of where it is coming from.

David in his own affliction. It says a prayer from the cave. A prayer in the midst of distress.

He would say I cried unto the Lord with my voice. With my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication. In my distress I cried unto the Lord.

Same conclusion again. And he heard me. The Lord hears why.

Because he sympathizes. He's very close and very near with those who are afflicted. When the difficulties come.

When Jonah felt he was in that great pit in the abyss. He would say at the end of verse number two. Out of the very belly of hell.

Of the very depths of where there is no hope. Of Sheol. I forget the word in English.

That Hades. That place of the dead. He would cry out.

He says even from there. Even from the pit. The lowest point.

He said I cried. And I heard his voice. There is no place too deep.

No place too far that one can get from the Lord. In this Christian life. Where if you were to cry out to him from that depth.

From that dark place. That he would not hear. It's a promise from the word of God.

And Jonah here he cries out. Out of the belly. The very belly of hell.

That's what he was experiencing. In those moments. Those dark moments.

In the belly of that well. He said he heard my voice. It doesn't matter how deep.

How dark. The pit might be. Maybe you feel like a place.

In a place where Jonah is. Or where David was. Where he would say the sorrows of death.

Compass me. And the pains of hell God hold upon me. I found trouble in sorrow.

But yet we can experience God in the midst of those afflictions. As we were thinking about yesterday. In the midst of those storms.

The psalmist could say this poor man cried. And the Lord heard him. And saved him out of all his troubles.

We see in salvation. Whosoever calleth upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. That God would reach in and save a sinner.

One who would cry out in the afflictions of his sins. But after we were saved. No doubt.

Still with this flesh. Still with the disobedient nature we may have. We fall short so often.

We go astray. We step off the path. And the Lord says.

He'll hear us. He sympathizes with the afflicted. You can think about why do afflictions and distresses come in the Christian life.

Why do they come upon us. In the case of Jonah it was a result of his disobedience. And maybe sometimes in our lives.

When we walk in a way that is disobedient to the Lord. He will bring afflictions into our lives. Difficulties into our lives.

In order to drive us back to him. That was the case with Jonah. The disobedience that he had.

The book of Hebrews tells us. That whom the Lord loves. He chastens.

He disciplines. And scourgeth every son. Whom he receives.

You know when these afflictions and these trials come. It allows us as believers. To display the person of Christ.

That Christian character. In our life. That no man should be moved by these afflictions.

For ye yourself know that we were appointed. Thereunto. That's what 1 Thessalonians tells us.

You think of that story of Esther. And Esther was brought in to the king. And chosen.

And the certain doom that faced her people. And the afflictions that she would have felt. And the difficult situation that she was in.

And the description of her family member. That could say. Maybe you were coming to the kingdom in such a time as this.

The afflictions came so that. The character. The Christian character.

That God's character could be revealed. In her own actions. You know these examples from the past.

Jonah. Moses. In the book of Hebrews.

Tells us that he chose rather to suffer affliction. With the people of God. Than to enjoy the pleasures of sin.

For a season. Sometimes afflictions come when we're obedient. Not just when we're disobedient.

Afflictions will come. Persecutions will come. But we need to remember we're not alone.

That the Lord is close. He sympathizes. With the afflicted.

And throughout this chapter. And throughout the book of Jonah. We can see Christ.

And even in this prayer. You see Christ. And he would.

It's almost like you can see him there. In verse number two as well. From the cross.

Or from the garden. And he's calling out. And that depth of despair that he feels.

The affliction that he is. And his feeling that. My God.

My God. Why hast thou. Forsaken me.

It says that in Hebrews. That he cried out. That he was able to save him from death.

He offered up prayers. And supplications. With strong crying.

God just doesn't sympathize. With the afflicted. Verses three through six.

Tells us he supports. He props up. He holds up those who are drowning.

And maybe you would say today. That's a more accurate description. Of me.

You have it here. In verses three. He talks about the deep.

That he is in. Verse five. He speaks of the depth.

Verse six. He goes as deep maybe. As he can think of.

He says the bottom of the mountains. That's the depths. That he felt he was in.

That cry. As often is applied. To Christ.

In Psalm 69. Save me oh God. For the waters are come into my soul.

I sink in deep mire. Where there is no stable. I come into the deep waters.

And maybe today. In the Christian life. In the circumstance of life.

You would say I stand in the deep mire. That your feet have come off for a moment. Off the foundation that is Christ.

Off the certainty of the word of God. And you'd say I'm sinking. Just keeping my head above water.

The mother with children. And sometimes maybe. It feels like there's no hope.

That you're just keeping your head above drowning. At school maybe. And the peer pressure comes in.

And you'd say. It's right up to my neck. I'm in the depths.

I'm in the deep. We see here that God supports. God raises up those who are drowning.

Who are in the deep. Maybe the despair of like Jeremiah. You could relate to today.

When he would write. Waters float over my head. That I said I am cut off.

Jeremiah they went right up over the head. Maybe you say you're right at the point. Right at the point of drowning.

Right at the point of giving in. Where do you find yourself? We find something we can lay hold of here. In this prayer of Jonah.

That the waves in the billows pass over him. He would say. The weeds were wrapped right around his head.

But how does verse 6 end? What is his confidence once again? Despite these difficulties. Despite these deaths. He would say this.

Yet thou has brought up my life. From corruption. Oh Lord my God.

Despite the waters just right up to his nostrils. Right up to his neck. The weeds right around his head.

He said Lord you brought me up. You brought up one who is drowning. One at the point of despair.

He said oh Lord you lift me up. I looked towards your holy temple. I meditated upon who you are oh God.

He says you've lifted me up. You brought my life up. From corruption.

In these verses. In verse 3. The waves in the billows that passed over him at Calvary. It says in verse 4. That he was cast out of thy sight.

You can hear that cry of Christ. My God my God why hast thou forsaken me? Why hast thou abandoned me? The weeds wrapped around his head. The bars.

The chains of verse number 6. The bars of the earth. The chains of the earth. Are about me forever.

Despite maybe dear brother dear sister. You're feeling you're drowning. You're at the point.

Where the waters have come up. Take confidence in what verse number 6 says. And where Jodah found this confidence.

He would say this despite all that. Thou the Lord has brought me up. Thou hast raised me up.

Maybe not even in a gentle way. But right by the collar of my shirt. You've raised me right out of the waters.

How often God in the midst of all this. In the midst of the afflictions. In the midst of the depths of our lives.

We just cry out to him. And we place our eyes upon his holy hill. His holy temple.

We look to him. He'll raise us up. He's the only sure foundation that we can have.

He's the only hope. The only one who can rescue us in our need. God sympathizes with the afflicted.

He supports those who are drowning. In this little prayer of Jonah. From the depths of the sea.

He ends with this great appreciation of God. That God saves those who are overwhelmed. You can say I'm afflicted.

I'm drowning. Maybe you say I'm already past that. I'm already overwhelmed.

But there's no turning back for me. You'd say in verse number seven. That's me when my soul had fainted.

It's already fainted. It's not fainting. It's not going to faint.

It's already fainted. And for Jonah in that sense. In that context he would say.

When my soul fainted. Within me. What did he do? I remember the Lord.

The one we can turn our eyes back to. We look at self. We look at those around us.

And the waters just get higher and higher. But if we do what Jonah did. He'd say I remember the Lord.

And my prayer came unto thee. And what was the result? That he would rejoice. In verse number nine.

He would look in verse eight. Of the vain illusions. Of finding strength in worldly things.

Like maybe even thinking back. To those sailors on that boat. As they would look for strength.

In vain idols. In vain gods. And false gods.

He would say in verse eight. That they observed the lying bandies. And forsake their own works.

But I will sacrifice unto thee. With the voice of thanksgiving. I will pay that which I have vowed.

He's in progression there. He starts with worship. He's worshiping the Lord.

I will sacrifice unto thee. The voice of thanksgiving. And maybe dear brother, dear sister.

For you having been in the depths. Maybe for quite some time. Maybe the first thing you could do.

Is just get down on your knees. And worship God. Worship him for saving your soul.

Worship him for all the blessings. That we often forget that we have. And have received from him.

We are tremendously blessed. And he says that. And he understands the worship.

And what comes next. It's the consecration. He says I will pay that which I have vowed.

And what is it at the end? Salvation is on the way. He understands. The service that is before him.

Having worshipped. Having consecrated himself. He can maybe say once again.

Of new. He understands it's the message. And repentance of judgment to come.

That salvation, that the Lord is sovereign. Salvation is on the way. And he rejoices.

In that fact. And what is the result? What is the result of that cry? That man who was overwhelmed. In the depths of the sea.

In the depths of that fish. How does verse number 10 end? His response to verse number one. For the very deepest and darkest place of this earth.

The very depths of the sea. A voice of an afflicted. Anguished.

Drowning. Overwhelmed. Failing man.

Went up to God. And God in his goodness. And in his mercy.

He looked down and he answered. And we don't have time to go into it. And maybe he was going to answer.

In the way even Jonah didn't want. Because he was still going to have to go. In the very first verse of chapter three.

That the word came unto him again. For the important thing to know. And with this I'll end.

That God sympathizes with you. In your afflictions. Christ himself.

The great high priest. He sympathizes with you. God supports.

He brings up. Those who are drowning. And today dear brother, dear sister.

You feel overwhelmed. Even at the end of the conference. As you think about everything you have to do.

Difficult decisions that need to be made. Difficult relationships that need to be confronted. Never forget this.

God saves those who are overwhelmed. What is the key? What is the essential thing for us? Cry out to him. Look to him.

And we can be like Jonah. And we can rejoice. Until the Lord has heard you.

May the Lord encourage our hearts. Maybe some of us are up here. And that's great.

Praise the Lord. And times will come when we're down here. We're down in the depths of the sea.

And we cry to him. He'll hear us. Because our God.

Is the almighty God, the only God. And he's a good and compassionate God. Who sympathizes with us.

In our afflictions. May the Lord bless his word for us.