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"When my soul fainted within me"

Text: Jonah 2:7

THE STRONG SPIRIT OF JONAH

Jonah had a strong spirit that caused him to think that he could flee from the presence of God with impunity! He had planned everything he could in the hope that he could avoid being sent to minister in Nineveh. His affliction in the belly of the great fish caused his soul to feel faint!

“When my soul fainted within me,
I remembered the LORD;
And my prayer went up to You,
Into Your holy temple.”
Jonah 2:7

1. “When my soul fainted within me”

a) Jonah was at his wits’ end.

b) He was likely at the end of his tethers.

c) His physical strength had probably been overly stretched already.

d) Now he felt his soul fainting within him.

e) He was essentially stating that he had reached the end of the rope of life.

2. “I remembered the LORD”

a) All that Jonah knew about God may have been recalled.

b) Remembering the attributes of God must have caused him to seek Him anew.

i) The mercy of God

ii) His lovingkindness

iii) His compassion and love

iv) His power to redeem and deliver

v) The many times God had delivered Israel and many individuals who had cried out to Him.

3. “And my prayer went up to You, into Your holy temple”

Jonah’s prayer may have the following elements:

a) A prayer of confession

b) A prayer of repentance

c) A prayer of contrition

d) A prayer for forgiveness

e) A prayer for deliverance

f) A prayer for restoration

g) A prayer of faith and hope

Prayers offered in this manner will see God hearing and answering favourably!