“Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying,“I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice… I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God” (Jonah 2:1-6 ESV).
I think it’s safe to say that most of us have never found ourselves in the belly of a fish like Jonah. But if you have lived at all, you’ve found yourself trapped in one of life’s “pits” – A time when our plans and endeavors grind to a halt and there’s nothing left to do but… pray.
I remember one such “pit.” It was 1982. My wife and I had just found out we were expecting our first child. My company had informed me that I was getting a promotion with it a big pay raise. Life was good. At least externally. Yet, spiritually we were a mess. I was a mess.
In 1978 I had gone forward at a Christian conference to answer the call to full-time ministry. I knew that God was calling me. I was willing to do anything God asked. Yet, after getting married the next year, life got more complicated. I became so busy with work and paying the bills that I didn’t even take time to go to church most weeks, much less pray and read the Bible. One of the ongoing fights that Robin and I had was my sleeping in on Sunday mornings.
“Aren’t we going to church?” She’d ask accusingly, while slamming the closet door.
“I’m too tired. I have to work every other Sunday anyway. This is my only day off this week.” I’d reply sleepily, feeling guilty inside, but not showing her my feelings.
I knew I needed a change. I was a husband and I was soon going to be a father. I was called of God, yet I couldn’t even take my wife to church. I was miserable.
Then, it happened. I was involved in an accident at work. It caused a compound fracture of my lower leg. There were casts and surgeries, a bone graft, a steel plate and weeks and weeks of time at home alone, missing work.
At first I was angry and depressed. I hated being out of control. I couldn’t take a shower. I couldn’t even drive a car. My wife had to wash my hair and chauffeur me around, while I lay my full leg cast across the back seat. But after a couple of weeks, I stopped complaining and started praying.
I didn’t have anything else to do, so we went to church every time the doors opened, Sunday mornings, evenings, Wednesdays… The pastor even asked me to lead the Wednesday night Bible study one week while he was out of town, from crutches no less. I got my guitar out of the closet and started writing songs for the Lord. I played them at home and at church. My pregnant wife was working her hands to the bone taking care of me, but she was smiling again. The man she’d married had returned… only better.
Eventually, my leg healed and I returned to work. But my time in the pit had changed me. I was never the same afterwards. I don’t know where my life, our marriage, my children would’ve ended up, if God hadn’t allowed me to fall into a pit. He had to take me out of the busyness of life to get my attention, so that I would focus on what really mattered.
But God didn’t just leave me in the pit and He didn’t leave Jonah there either. He heard our prayers from the pit. And He answered them, rescuing us and giving us a second chance to obey His call.
Are you feeling too busy to answer God’s call? You better watch your step (and where you swim too)! God may interrupt your life with one of life’s pits.