Drowning Man Found
Jonah 2:6-7 .…Yet You have brought up my life from the pit and corruption, O Lord my God. When my soul fainted upon me [crushing me], I earnestly and seriously remembered the Lord; and my prayer came to You, into Your holy temple.
Do you remember the process you went through to truly surrender to Jesus? Can you recall who you were before you were born-again? If you believe that salvation is a one, and done event it’s easy to forget who you were before surrendering. But, if you believe that you are in the process of being saved from your sinful, self-centered, rebellious self you have plenty of times to recall what and who the Lord is presently saving you from. When Peter preached at Pentecost in the Book of Acts he said in Acts 2:21 And it shall be that whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord [invoking, adoring, and worshiping the Lord—Christ] shall be saved. The Greek word picture for the word “call” comes from the idea of someone drowning. In their ignorance they were lured to the waters for some fun. Before they knew it the sand beneath their watery playground had dropped off dramatically, terrifyingly revealing they were over their head. Frantically thrashing about, attempting to stay afloat, the terror grips them as they know all too well they cannot swim. In their thrashing they scream out in desperation, Help! Help! Someone save me. From the beach a Savior sees their predicament and plunges head first into the watery grave to save them. Are they saved when they become conscious of His efforts? Are they saved when He reaches them; saved when He wraps His arm around them to tow them back to shore? No they are not saved till their feet become firmly planted on Heaven’s shores.
Can you recall the times in your life when you were drowning and you finally called on the Lord to save you or has life dulled your memories? In Jonah’s prayer, attitude toward God’s mission, anger, and judgments towards the people of Nineveh – you can quickly detect he had forgotten what he had been saved from, and the process of salvation he was still involved in (God didn’t send Jonah to Nineveh because He was fresh out of prophets). Jonah neglected to realize that God’s mission was not only the salvation of Nineveh but also, his own. The task was intended to save him too!
As you have responded to the call of God to seek Him have you become like Jonah forgetting all the Lord has saved you from and what He is in the process of saving you from now? Have you been irritated, and annoyed at an assignment He has you in – a difficult person, or situation – that you haven’t realized He’s using to save you? Have you become like Jonah not overflowing daily for His great salvation? Can you recall all His salvation benefits declaring them by name? When’s the last time you gave thanks and remembered?
