Jonah 2:1;10

Jonah 2:1;10 (ESV): “1 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish; 10 And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.”

A. W. Tozer once said, “Prayer will become effective when we stop using it as a substitute for obedience.” If we want God to move through our prayers, we must be prepared to walk in obedience to Him.

After being tossed overboard and swallowed by a great fish, Jonah prayed. In the darkest hours of his life, he knew where to turn. He had faith that God would deliver him from his self-induced trial. Quoting some of the Psalms in his prayer, Jonah repented of his lack of commitment to God and his lack of gratitude. He brought a heart of repentance and a sacrifice of praise from the belly of the fish, and God delivered him. This is what effective prayer looks like.

How many times have you prayed for deliverance from a self-induced situation without truly repenting? We should always seek to restore our fellowship with God through repentance in prayer before we petition Him to work. God moves on our behalf when our hearts return to Him. When we have a heart of obedience and gratitude toward Him, we are poised to be delivered. Amen?

Father, forgive us for petitioning before repenting. Give us hearts to obey Your voice and restore our gratitude. We owe You the sacrifice of praise always. Work in us as You see fit, we pray, in Jesus’ name, amen.