Subject – ONE OF THE GREATEST PRAYER MEETINGS EVER!
Text – Jonah 1: 5, 14, 16 (read vv. 1-16)
Sermon delivered by:
Pastor Henry S. Cotton, Jr. of St.James Missionary Baptict Church in Philadelphia.
INTRODUCTION
When a lot of us think about prayer meetings, we remember when it was usually just a few of us who would come together at church to pray. Every now and then the Lord would show up and it would turn into a Hallelujah good time! We don’t usually associate Jonah with a prayer meeting, because many people tend to focus on the fish incident.
I want to paint a picture of Jonah as a man who despite being disobedient, stubborn, short-sighted, and stupid enough to think that he could change the will of the LORD by running, was still instrumental in one of the great conversion experiences that may be hardly ever spoken about! But I believe the Lord used Jonah to initiate what I want to call: “ONE OF THE GREATEST PRAYER MEETINGS EVER!”
Jonah 1:1. Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2. Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. 3. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. 4. But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.
- Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.
- The Lord had sent such a powerful wind that because the ship was being tossed to and fro so much, all the men on the ship believed that the ship was going to blow to bits. The men were so afraid that they all began to call on their own gods (expound).
- So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, what meanest thou, O sleeper? Arise, call upon thy God, if so, be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.
- And they said everyone to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. (Take note that even though they were of different beliefs, they agreed to come together to find a common enemy.) So, they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. 8. Then said they unto him, tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; what is thine occupation? And whence comest thou? What is thy country? And of what people art thou? 9. And he said unto them, I am a Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land. 10. Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. 11. Then said they unto him, what shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. 12. And he said unto them, take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so, shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you. 13. Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.
14. Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, we beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee.*
*Take note that THEY cried unto THE LORD for the first time together!
- After Jonah told the men that it was his fault that the LORD caused the wind to come upon them and that they should cast him overboard in order for the wind to be calm again; the men “CALLED UPON THE LORD” that He might not take their lives because of Jonah. They also knew that they were going to cast Jonah overboard and PRAYED to the LORD that they were not about to cast judgment on an innocent man.
- Let us also take note that they recognized the Sovereignty of the LORD in that He was doing what He wanted to do (expound).
- So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.
- Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.*
- After the men cast Jonah into the sea and the wind calmed down, and the sea stopped it’s raging:
- The men had great fear/respect for the LORD.
- The men recognized that the God of Jonah was the LORD and offered Him a sacrifice.
- The men showed their commitment to the LORD by making vows to Him (expound).
CONCLUSION
Jonah’s journey started out with him calling himself running away from where the Lord wanting to go because he didn’t want to do what the LORD wanted him to (does this fit any of us?). Jonah thought that by deciding to go somewhere different than where the LORD told him to go, he could outrun the will of the LORD. We see Jonah on a ship with men from different cultures, and when the ship gets caught up with winds and waves that began to toss it to and fro, ALL these men started praying to THEIR gods.
However, by the time they finished interrogating Jonah, finding out who and whose Jonah was, and then finally throwing Jonah over the ship; when the winds and the waves calmed down, ALL of these men recognized that the God of Jonah was the LORD, and they showed their commitment to the LORD by offering a sacrifice and making vows to Him!
Before Jonah could get to Tarshish, before Jonah was thrown overboard to meet up with the great fish, and before Jonah reached Nineveh. Jonah was instrumental in one of the greatest conversion stories NEVER told!
Many of us have found ourselves in the same position as Jonah; being disobedient to the will of the LORD, and trying to outrun Him. But I’m so glad that even in our backsliding moments; the LORD has shown us that He can still use us! You or I may think we’re going to do what we want, but the LORD’s will is going to be done, and He will still find a way to get His Glory even through our backsliding lives.
Jonah did not sing a single hymn. Jonah did not pray a single prayer. Jonah did not even preach a single sermon. But Jonah was instrumental in causing . . .
“ONE OF THE GREATEST PRAYER MEETINGS EVER TOLD!”