Saturday, Fish Guts, and COVID-19
April 19, 2020
Most people don’t like silence. Even those who claim to crave it, grow weary of it if it lasts too long. In a world filled with noise, silence can be deafening, even disturbing. We especially don’t like it when God is silent. We may even assume that God’s silence means that He is absent. But there is evidence throughout the scriptures that God often chooses to work through the silent seasons of our lives. Join us online for part 4 of Pause where we examine the story of Jonah in the belly of a fish to see how God may be using times of silence and isolation to rescue us.
Passage (Read it):
Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”
Jonah 1:17
Princliple (Know It):
Sometimes God delivers you from the fish and sometimes God uses the fish to deliver you.
Practice (Do It):
Make a list of fish God has used to save you. Do you feel trapped in the belly of a fish now? How might God be using that fish to save you? Is that fish making you better or bitter?
What to do if you’re swallowed by a large fish:
- Don’t waste time being mad at the fish.
- Thank God for the fish, He may be using it to save your life!
- Don’t rush through the bowels of a fish.
- Be prepared to exit the fish.
Suggested Reading List for “Pause”:
40 Days to Lasting Change, Kyle Idleman
40 Days of Purpose, Rick Warren
A Call to Die, David Nasser
Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, Peter Scazzero
Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day, Peter Scazzero
Ninety Days with the Disciple Jesus Loves, Gary Lee Webber
My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers
Morning and Evening, Charles Spurgeon
Other sermons you may want to check out:
Awakening (2015), One (2017), Prayer Journey (2018), The Disciple's Journey (2018), Jonah: Welcome to Nineveh (2012)
Daily Reading:
Jonah’s prayer in Jonah 2 is a compilation of quotes from various Psalms of thanksgiving. This reminds us of Paul’s admonition in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 to “give thanks in all circumstances.” As we continue to press through the COVID-19 pandemic, use this week’s Scripture readings from Jonah 2 and the Psalms to inspire you to give thanks!
Monday: Jonah 2
Tuesday: Jonah 2:2 (Psalm 18:6 and Psalm 30:3)
Jonah 2:3 (Psalm 42:8, Psalm 88:7, Psalm 11:4)
Wednesday: Jonah 2:4 (Psalm 31:22)
Jonah 2:5 (Psalm 69:1-2 and Psalm 18:4-5)
Thursday: Jonah 2:6 (Psalm 40:2, Psalm 71:20, Psalm 88:6)
Jonah 2:7 (Psalm 18:6)
Friday: Jonah 2:8 (Psalm 31:6 and Psalm 106:36)
Jonah 2:9 (Psalm 50:14 & Psalm 66:13-14)
Saturday: Matthew 12
Sunday: Luke 11