A Prayer Meeting in Hell
Sermon by Rev. James Meeks
Jonah 2:1-10
Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly, and said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, And he heard me; Out of the belly of hell cried I, And thou heardest my voice. For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; And the floods compassed me about: All thy billows and thy waves passed over me. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; Yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: The depth closed me round about, The weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; The earth with her bars was about me for ever: Yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God. When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: And my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. They that observe lying vanities Forsake their own mercy. But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD. And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.
Churches used to have prayer meetings where they gathered on a week night just to testify and pray. In this text, we get to eavesdrop on a prayer meeting in hell.
I. What is Hell?
As believers, we believe in an actual place called hell. It’s a place for Satan, his angels, and their family.
It’s outside of the presence of God
Luke 16:22-26 says people who go to hell will be in torment.
There are places and times here on earth where we can feel so bad we feel like we’re in hell right here on earth. Whenever we go in the opposite direction of God, we are headed towards our personal hell.
God allows our choices to close in on us and get the best of us. We have free will to make our own choices. And we can go in the opposite direction of where God wants us to go. He makes our disobedience feel like hell so we can make our way back to him.
The sooner we decide to cooperate with God, the sooner we can get out of our personal hell.
II. It Is Better to Pray Out of Affection than It Is to Pray Out of Affliction
The trouble Jonah was in made him pray.
It’s better to pray before pain comes. Being in the habit of praying could help keep the pain from coming.
Pray because you love God. Not just because something is wrong.
Thank God for all the good things that have happened and that you have.
If you are in affliction, you can still pray.
III. From Hell, God Still Accepts Collect Calls.
If we are obedient and walking upright, we can go boldly to the throne of God. In John 14:13-16, Jesus says we can ask the Father for anything in his name.
Pastor Meeks thinks the prayers of the righteous (James 5:16) come in on the mainline… The prayers of the disobedient go to the switchboard.
No matter what we’ve done, he’ll still answer.
IV. Own Your Mess
We have tend to blame others. Nobody likes to accept that the mess is their fault.
Adam blamed God and Eve in Genesis 3. Eve blamed the serpent.
Jonah doesn’t blame God. He admitted the part he played in his current situation.
David did the same thing after being confronted with his sin regarding Bathsheba. He wrote God a love note in Psalm 51.
V. When You’re in Hell, Remember God’s Promises
In verses 4 and 7, Jonah recalls the holy temple. He’s in misery but he remembers that God made Israel some promises.
When building the temple, Solomon asked God that when the Israelites looked towards the temple their prayers would be answered even if they couldn’t get to the temple. And God said, “…if my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven...” 2 Chronicles 7:14
Jonah is trying to turn towards God in the belly of the fish.
You have to find a promise from God and hold onto it.
VI. Give God Praise
In verse 9, Jonah admitted his disobedience and then praised God.
When you’re in hell because it’s your fault and you messed up, give God praise.
When we’re in trouble, we spend so much time looking at the trouble that we miss God.
Reflection Questions
When have you experienced a "personal hell" as a result of going in the opposite direction of God's will?
Do you find yourself praying more out of affection for God or out of affliction from pain?
How do you respond when you're in a difficult situation—do you own your mistakes, or do you tend to shift blame?
What promises from God can you hold onto when you’re facing a tough situation?
How can you praise God even when you know you’re in a difficult situation because of your choices?