Intervention In Despair

Have you ever been in a precarious position? What is the posture you assumed in those moments? Triumph?! Hopefulness?! Despair?! Have you ever viewed that precarious position as a picture of God’s grace?  Probably not! If we’re anything like Jonah, we cried out in despair: “In my distress, I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From the deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.” (vs. 2) As Jonah sank into the depths of the earth, he felt cut off from life and separated from God. From a human perspective, his life was over as he sank in the storm. Yet as the seaweed wrapped around him, God saw him and did the “impossible.” God delivered Jonah from the grip of death. Salvation comes from the Lord! Jonah didn’t dive voluntarily into the sea expecting a huge fish to save him, nor did he expect to be vomited from the beast onto the beach. But God used Jonah to point to His grace, and He also used Jonah to point to the grace we have in Jesus Christ. In fact, that is something that we will be seeing together this week in our Sunday morning services and as we receive the Lord’s Supper.   Though we may be born in the belly of the beast called sin, and although we may live in that sin and run away from God, Jesus frees us for eternal life! He pulls us up out of the depths - out of the pit - and He sets us high on a rock! As we gather together this week, either in person or online, may we be able to say along with Jonah, “Salvation comes from the Lord!” Grace & Peace Pastor Aaron