Salvation comes from the Lord
by Rachael Stelzer
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What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord’ (Jonah 2:9).
Picture it. In the depths of the Mediterranean, a huge fish moves slowly through the water. As our view pans in closer and the fish surfaces, we hear a muffled chanting coming from the fish …?
In my distress I called to the Lord,
and he answered me.
From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help,
and you listened to my cry …
Jonah sits in a fish’s stomach. Not exactly a pleasant environment, but on the bright side, he isn’t dead, which he absolutely expected to be right now. So he is singing a song of praise.
And it’s a beautiful psalm of praise that recounts exactly what happened to Jonah. I strongly encourage you to read the whole thing. It’s one of the most overlooked sections of the Jonah story. My favourite line is very evocative:
The engulfing waters threatened me,
the deep surrounded me;
seaweed was wrapped around my head.
But Jonah recognises that God saved him from death in the water through the supernatural intervention of the large fish, and perhaps he also recognises that if God can save him, then God can save Nineveh too. And Jonah vows, ‘I will say: Salvation comes from the Lord’. And he does.
Dear Lord, Jonah wasn’t perfect, but he did lift his song of praise to you for your grace in sparing his life. May I sing your praises, with my words and with my life, for your grace and goodness to me. I will say: Salvation comes from the Lord. Amen.
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