What is your prayer life like? Do you ever wonder if you are praying properly? As we continue to look at Jonah’s prayer in Jonah 2:5-6, we learn some more lessons today about how to pray, and how not to pray.
The Text of Jonah 2:5-6
The waters surrounded me, even to my soul; the deep closed around me; Weeds were wrapped around my head.
I went down to the moorings of the mountains; The earth with its bars closed behind me forever; Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord, my God.
In this discussion of Jonah 2:5-6 we look at:
- Why Jonah 2:5-6 are a repeat of Jonah 2:2-3
- How Jonah 2:5-6 point the reader to Genesis 1
- Why Jonah’s prayer is not a model prayer
- Some lessons on how (and how not) to pray
Resources:
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Faith says
Jeremy,
If you are still looking for volunteers to help with your books, I’m available.
Jeremy Myers says
Somehow I missed this comment until you just emailed me. Yes! Thanks for the application. I will approve you tomorrow.
Anthony says
Thank you for putting up this podcast! I am new to the your site and appreciate the work that you and God are doing here.
It is difficult to judge Jonah’s true motive in this prayer of thanksgiving. I see where you are coming from but this could easily have been a realization from Jonah rather than a boast. To me it would seem that the prayer in these verses are acknowledging God’s work. He is saying “I prayed and you saved me. Thank you!” If Jonah didn’t pray then no prayer would have been answered and there would have been no glory for God in the act of saving him. Jonah seems to realize that fact.
As long as his heart or his motive was in the right place when he said thank you then I am sure his prayer was well received. The verse that comes to mind is Matthew 6:7 that says when you pray do not babble like the pagans do. It isn’t the words you say but the reason behind them that counts.
Thanks again for the podcast! I will be tuning in again int he future.
Anthony
Faith says
I’ve listened to this several times. To me the most important point is that our prayers don’t control God. I have told you my concerns about the way prayer is taught in some churches. The idea that if you “pray the right way” God has to give you what you want. I’m so glad you made it clear that our prayers are a conversation with God, not coercion of the almighty God, our creator.