Jonah Prays!

Welcome to the seventh meeting! May you find the source of life in Him, and reject the distractions and substitutions the world offers this week. Our King rules the heavens, and this realm! Let's walk in His increasing glory.

We left Jonah in the belly of Sheol, on the verge of extinguishment from this realm of life. Now the writer, presumably Jonah, switches to first person. To me it almost seems self deprecating "Jonah said ..." then when things are dire "I said ..." For some reason I like this switch in tense, this poetic movement, yet can't put my finger on why it is so appealing.

To be cast out from before God's sight. Out of His sight. Sheol, the dead realm separated from life, no longer part of the 'now', this is not where God directs His attention. Yet even for me today, experientially, the dead things in the word are not of His concern. If I embroil myself in corrupt things, I can not live in His presence. And His concern is with life, spreading eternal life, drawing each one closer to Himself. I must not eat of the world or dwell in judgement of the world, in condemnation of dead things, but focus upon Him, and the flow of eternal life.

Looking again for the holy temple implies that Jonah perceives that temple as the heavenly reality. He is looking, inside perhaps, as before in his life to the spiritual expression of the Eternal's presence. I believe Jonah is looking with the eyes of his heart. Turning to the Lord inside.

Death surrounded Jonah's vitality. Cut off from the source of life, physically, in the soul, and cast out from God. My concern today is with the soul. As a Christian, I fall into the trap of judging whether something is good or bad simply if it is Christian or not. But there is a whole realm of cultural Christianity out there, mimicking the world. This trap is doubly bad, as I am judging for myself, not based on the flow of life, but on what I can know. All the while building a dead religious shell. It is easy to separate from what you see as obviously detrimental, but even the natural man perceives this as well. It takes the opening of the eyes of my heart to see what is life giving, irregardless of label or context.

The weeds that wrap around the head are those entanglements which bind our thinking, cloud our vision, cover the face. The countenance is obscured, the mind is trapped by decay. We can not see, and none can see the life inside of us. For myself, music once had this effect. If I heard even one short bar of certain songs they would stick in my mind all day, sucking life. By the transforming power of the cross I was healed of that affliction. I discover life in many songs and types of music now, without worry. Conversely I find little in modern Christian pop music. That is no judgement, or condemnation, simply my experience. Others are totally different, all to His glory for diversity. I would exhort each however, to seek desperately the source of life no matter what your taste!

Now this 'going down to the bottoms of the mountains' is such a wondrous picture! In the physical world, the base of the greatest mountain is at the bottom of the ocean (basically the whole Big Island of Hawaii). How fantastic is that! Yet Jonah did not sink down in the physically as such, it was the base of civilization (besides, he was in the Mediterranean). Separated from the societies of living people, the 'mountains' common in the prophets metaphors. He was brought to the vanishing point, the edge of human civilization.

And yet God has brought Jonah's life up from the pit. Save from the trap of death. His vitality was preserved by God, restored to the realm of life. Notice it was not simply, "God saved me from drowning in the ocean." Jonah is prophesying still, of the true ministry our Lord performed. Jesus went beneath the 'base of the hills', beyond this realm, even the foundations of human society.

Now comes one of my favorite verses anywhere, Jonah 2:7: "When my soul fainted within me, I remembered Jehovah; And my prayer came in unto thee, into thy holy temple." Oh how glorious is our God! Ponder dear ones, this verse carefully. If the soul has fainted, the vitality, the life emptied, from where did Jonah call? His inner man cried out! The Eternal was brought to mind, at the edge of death. And Jonah's prayer went to God, even into the dwelling and presence of God. Certainly Jonah has an perception of the dwelling of God beyond the physical temple in Jerusalem.

This is the gospel, even the core of Jesus ministry. I can not enter, have nothing worthwhile in and of myself. Yet the Eternal has given me new life. Come inside my spirit, caused it to arise. In my spirit I can come before the Lord. In the corrupted natural man, I have been baptised into His death on the cross. The execution of Jesus works its way out in my soul. Rendering dead piece by piece, and replacing anew with the mind of Christ, the will of God, even the heart of flesh. Some days it is the experience of Jonah, perhaps many times. Yet we can come! The Spirit calls us forward to more life.

Where is His temple now? How do we practically experience this temple? Jesus inhabits His body, universally, regionally, citywide, and in yours and my local fellowship. And I can experience the temple life daily by expressing, even practicing the body locally. One of the greatest ways of practicing this local body life is to let your prayers be heard together. I love to hear your prayers, to agree in faith with you. I want to pray in Him with you, to let my prayers enter the temple. Praise God for revealing Himself, and His nature in the scriptures!

For this meeting, here is the current agenda:

Prayer and Thanksgiving:
Lord, open my eyes to see You, to see Your local expression of Your body. Release a overflowing measure of eternal life upon all who read these words, upon all who meet here now and in the future. Fill us with Your words, Your burdens for this day, in this locality. Well up in us to overflowing, to spread life around to all whom we know and meet.

Open questions:
Membership drive! Know anyone who might enjoy reading? Send along an address and I will pleasantly invite.

Current topic:
Meditate on Jonah 2:8-10 with the focus of Salvation. There are a few interesting concepts in these verses, let's see where the Spirit leads us.

Conclusion:
Perhaps forgive my wordiness this week. I have loved this section for a long time, and have trouble being terse. Also, no one sent any ideas, so I went off a bit. By all means, even if it is the shortest of comments, feel free to jump in. More life is better!