Welcome to our third devotional on Jonah chapter 2. In Jonah's prayer from the fish's belly, we're uncovering five signs of surrender to a sovereign God. Today, we'll explore the third sign: a thirst for God's presence. We'll examine how Jonah, despite feeling cut off from God, still longs to be in His presence, demonstrating a key aspect of true repentance.
"If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world."
– C.S. Lewis
Jonah 2:4
“I called out of my distress to the Lord, And He answered me. I called for help from the depth of Sheol; You heard my voice. 3 For You threw me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the current flowed around me. All Your breakers and waves passed over me. 4 So I said, ‘I have been cast out [c]of Your sight. Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple.’"
Imagine Jonah, feeling utterly cut off from God, yet still longing to be in His presence (vs 4.). This verse reveals the deep spiritual thirst that Jonah experiences in his moment of crisis.
The temple was the place where God's presence dwelt among His people. For Jonah to say he will look again toward God's holy temple is to express his desperate desire to reconnect with God. It's as if he's saying, "God, I feel so far from you, but I'm going to keep seeking your face."
This longing for God's presence is a sign of true repentance. Jonah isn't just sorry for the consequences of his actions; he's sorry for the broken relationship with God. He feels the pain of separation and longs for restoration.
As believers, we should cultivate this same thirst for God's presence. Psalm 42:1-2 expresses it beautifully: "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?"
When we find ourselves in spiritual "dry spells," or feeling distant from God due to our own disobedience, the answer is not to run further away, but to turn our faces back toward His temple - to seek His presence with renewed fervor.
Can you recall a time when you felt distant from God? How did you respond?
What practices help you to cultivate a thirst for God's presence in your daily life?
How might your life be different if you approached each day with a deep longing to experience God's presence?
My soul finds its true satisfaction only in God's presence. I will continually seek His face, especially in times of spiritual dryness.
Stay dialed in,
Jonny Ardavanis
P.S. If you found this devotional meaningful, would you consider forwarding it with someone who might appreciate it as well?