EXPAND TO READ: JONAH 2 (HCSB)
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verse 6): Father, I have often gotten so stuck in my own ways that I have felt like the prison bars have closed behind me forever. I have gotten so stuck in my own self-pity that I forget to look upon You for help, counsel, and wisdom. Please forgive me for this, Father. Forgive me for thinking I can do this on my own. Forgive me for thinking that in those times that I fail, I should just stay in my self-inflicted prison and not go to You for aide.
PROMISE (verse 8): In this one verse, You make us a promise that I have often fell into a trap of. You say that “those who cling to worthless idols forsake faithful love.” In essence, this means that those who put anything above You, choose those false idols over Your faithful love. I have fallen into this trap many times throughout my life, Father. Help me to no longer be easily swayed towards the false idols of this life, Father.
ATTITUDE (verses 1-2): Help me to have an attitude like Jonah in this Scripture, Father. Although Jonah’s own actions led him into a seemingly never-ending pit of despair, He went to You through it all. He cried out to You for help and forgiveness. Remind me that I do not need to wait until I hit rock-bottom to go to You with my troubles and worries, Father. Remind me that I do not have to rely on myself to get me through things. You are always there for me if I just call on You for help.
COMMAND (verses 1, 7): In these two verses, I feel the command is to always go to You in prayer. When Jonah was at his lowest point, almost succumbing to death, he still remembered to go to You through prayer. Through his prayers to You, You had decided that he was worthy to be saved from the pits he put himself in. Through his prayers, Your faithful love broke through the prison bars he set upon himself. Help me to remember that prayer is the most powerful tool I have during this faith walk with You in this life and that I must never stall on my prayer life. A consistent prayer life will help to ensure I never fall into my own pits of life again.
EXAMPLE (verse 9): This one verse gives such a powerful example to live by. Through all of the turmoil and all of the self-inflicted lows of his life at this moment, Jonah pursued You with all that he had left in him. As a result, You brought him out of those pits and prisons that he put himself in. As a result of his devotion to You in that moment, You brought him salvation.
*DAILY NOTE: This Scripture truly reminds me of when I was at my lowest point in July 2021. I was on the cusp of losing my entire family, I was at my lowest point of depression, and I was living in my own self-inflicted prison. You helped me out of that through my devotion and dedication to You in my prayers. You introduced me at the exact moment I needed it the most to the Real Men 300. You provided me with a way out of all that turmoil and depression through You. Thank You so much for Your faithful love, Father. Without Your love, I would truly be lost in my own depression, misery, and isolation.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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