Remembering Christ

Scripture – Jonah 2:5-7: ⁵The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. ⁶To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God. ⁷“When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.

Observation – (Write down what you see in the scripture.) Jonah’s prayer continues. He reached the low point where he was totally lost. He was, literally, in over his head. His disobedience led him to hit bottom. In that experience he remembered the Lord and called out to Him. In response, God brought him up and rescued him. I have a tendency, when I get myself in trouble, to think I’ve got to get myself out by myself. If I mess something up or break something, I think I’ve got to fix it. However, Christ is always ready and willing and able to help me fix things – and when necessary, He’ll fix them Himself.

Application – (Write how you will be different today because of what you have just read.) I will call on Christ to help me today. I will not let my pride get in the way of that. I will let Him help, even if His help comes through the help of other people.

Prayer – (Write out a brief prayer.) Lord, your faithfulness never fails. Thank you for that. Forgive me for ignoring you and refusing to call on you when I need help. Remind me it’s just that simple. I don’t have to do everything on my own. In fact, I cannot do everything on my own.

An Invitation – If you’re interested in a face to face discussion about what we’ve been discovering in the Mini-Journal, a small group will be meeting tomorrow morning, 9:45 – 10:30am, at the Southgate Fun and Fitness Center (on Northline near I-75). Look for them around one of the tables in the Café area.

Tomorrow’s Reading: Sunday, September 9, 2007:

Jonah 2:8-10: ⁸“Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. ⁹But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD.” ¹⁰And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.