Hey, before the message, I know we’ve got some children here, so I’m gonna invite you guys. You guys want to come on up and join me for just a quick little time right here on the stage. Yep. Come on up guys. Well, Jake, girls, come on up. Very good. And yeah, dads are welcome as well. It’s, it’s kind of a helpful encouragement. Well, welcome. Come on up. Join me here. So glad that you guys are here at Victory Lutheran. Come on up, Titus. Good to see you, big guy. Alright, so did you guys see that bumper there? And it was about a guy named Jonah in the Bible. Have you heard of Jonah before? So this is the prophet who got swallowed by a fish, a giant fish who swallowed ’em whole. Have you heard that story? Okay, so’s what we’re gonna be learning about today. So today’s message is, is about Jonah in the belly of the fish, where of all things he prays to God. And so here’s this water bottle. Imagine Jonah taken down to the depths of the sea, just like Andrew Red Forest from the Bible a bit ago. And what does Jonah do? He actually turns and looks up to God in prayer. And watch what happens here. When I turn this up like this, do you see that bubble go to the top, see if it’s back there? It’s still right there in the bubble. And when you pray that bubble goes, it rises up to the top in the water. Well, Jonah, when he’s in the bottom of the sea, in the belly of the fish, he prays to God when he’s in trouble. That’s a good thing to do. That’s what we’re gonna learn about today. And as he prays, Not only does his prayer rise up like that bubble rises up, but God turns things upside down or maybe for Jonah right side up and gives him a second chance. So I want you to know that no matter what you’re going through, you can always pray to God and your prayers, especially those of a child, Jesus has a special place in his heart for children. Whenever you pray to Jesus, your prayers go right up to him. All right. Isn’t that cool? All right, let me pray for you. All right. Dear Jesus, you love each of these children and all of these. All of us are your children through Christ Jesus. Help us to remember that no matter what goes on in our life, we can always turn to you in prayer and you hear us and you’re with us. Thank you, Jesus. In your name I pray, amen. Yeah. All right guys. Thanks for joining me. You can go back and join your families. Why don’t you give ’em a round of applause for being so brave to come on up.

You know, pulling a children’s message out like that is always smart. ’cause there’s intent I have also for you, ’cause I think you’ll probably remember that maybe better than anything this morning. Jonah, we are in the second week of Jonah Grace for all. And in many ways we’re looking, you know, at the larger picture where God has grace, even for people who aren’t like us or that we think don’t deserve it. Truth is we can resemble that remark ourselves and we don’t deserve God’s grace. But he still lavish upon you and me. Over and over again in Christ Jesus. That’s what we’re gonna look at today, that no matter where you’re at in life, even if you’ve really blown it before God, or if you’re running away from him, he will constantly pursue you with his presence and redemptive power, and it’s for your own good. There’s a famous poem that you’ve probably never read, but you’ve heard the title. The title is The Hound of Heaven. Have you heard of that phrase, the hound of heaven? It’s talking about God’s relentless pursuit of the human soul. And I found in life that God’s ways are sometimes hard to understand. You know what I mean? And for me, sometimes I wanna run away from it when I don’t understand it or when I disagree with it. How about you? It’s common for us to want to go our own way or to expect things to go our way, and when they don’t and we experience hardship or trouble, our theology and our faith come up for grabs and we can run in the opposite direction when God either sends us something we don’t expect or want, or he calls us to do something that we shy away from. In other words, we all have the tendency to do what we just sang a bit earlier. We’re all prone to wander. Lord, I feel it prone to leave the God I love. We sang that and then here’s a great prayer to follow it. Here’s my heart, Lord. Take and seal it. Seal it for thy courts above. ’cause God is that hound of heaven. He’ll never let you go. He’ll never stop pursuing you, giving up on you no matter what. And so in the account of Jonah, we witnessed a powerful testimony of God’s relentless pursuit of his rebellious prophet Jonah, who found himself in a desperate situation. And yet, despite Jonah’s disobedience, God didn’t give up on him. He didn’t abandon him, but rather orchestrated a series of events to bring Jonah back to his God. And so if you have your Bibles, I’m gonna invite you to turn to Jonah. We’re gonna read the last verse of chapter one and then into chapter two, where if you’re in your devices, and can I just say I’m, I’m seeing more and more Bibles showing up for worship that just does a pastor’s heart good. As well as on your devices. I’ll just trust you’re not checking the latest scores or email. Okay, but following along Jonah, the last verse of chapter one, and then chapter two reads like this. Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights from inside the fish.

Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. He said, in my distress, I called to the Lord and he answered me from deep in the realm of the dead. I called for help and you listened to my cry. You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas and the current swirled about me. All your waves and breakers swept over me. I said, I’ve been banished from your sight, yet I will look again toward your holy temple. The engulfing waters threatened me. The deep surrounded me seaweed was wrapped around my head to the roots of the mountains, I sank down the earth beneath, barred me in forever. But you, Lord, my God, brought my life up from the pit. When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you Lord. And my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple, to those who clinging to worthless idols, turn away from God’s love for them. But I, with shouts of grateful praise will sacrifice to you. What I vowed. I will make good. I will say salvation comes from the Lord. And the Lord commanded the fish and it vomited Jonah onto joy land I. The word of the Lord. Thank God. Let’s pray. Father in heaven. Now as we dive into your word again in Jonah by your Holy Spirit, help us to see ourselves in this story and to know that we are in your heart. For each of us here, Lord, we need to hear a word from you this morning. Bring it, personalize it by your Holy Spirit. Whether we’re running from you or feel abandoned by you or wondering what’s going on or how, how we can even get through this day bring hope and redemption to our hearts and lives to the glory of your name, Jesus, in which I pray, amen. Amen. Dear friends, grace to you and peace from God, our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. So, do you remember where we ended last week with Jonah? Jonah runs from God’s call given Tim to go preach a message of repentance to there’s arch enemies, the Ninevites people in the city of Nineveh and the capital, the Syrian empire. And so Jonah says, no way, Lord. And just runs off the opposite direction. So do you remember what God did? Well, first he provides a storm. And interesting the, the, the text has got either sent or he provided. I mean, God was doing this. God sent the storm to get Jonah’s attention. And then after Jonah finally confessed to the sailors and the ship as they’re about to sink, Throw me overboard ’cause I’m disobeying God. They did seagulls calm, but then Jonah gets swallowed by a huge fish. Talk about going from bad to worse for Jonah, but was it really? You see, God sent both the storm and the fish for Jonah’s good to call him back to God’s heart. And for Jonah to be back following his God. So my first point I wanna roll with today is even when we run or feel far from God, he relentlessly pursues us.

Now, I dunno if that sounds like a promise or a threat. It’s really a promise. But here’s another way I think that we experience it, and that’s this in your life, God is often. In the storms of life, he is, God does the same for you and me today, as he did for his rebellious prophet Jonah. And through Jonah’s story, we can learn a crucial truth about our Heavenly Father, that he loves us and in love, he pursues us even in our most rebellious moments. It is not in God’s nature. Who is love for his love to give up on us, even when we stray from his path. And instead, God uses storms in our lives to awaken us up from us, a spiritual stupor, slumber, and turn our hearts back to him. As Andrew read for us earlier, and we responded in Psalm 1 39. The scriptures say, you have searched me, Lord. You know me. You know when I sit. When I rise, you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out, my lying down. You are familiar with all your ways and maybe someone here today needs to hear this. God knows what you’re going through. He’s not abandoned you. He is with you. And that’s a promise. The psalm continues. Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you’re there. If I make my bed in the depths, you’re there. If I rise in the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there, your hand will guide me. Your right hand will hold me fast. Mm. That’s a tremendous promise. In other words, no matter where you are or whatever you’re going through, God has not abandoned you. No. Even in the midst of our wrong choices, God’s grace remains abundant despite the storms we may face. God provides a way of rescue, even as he did for Jonah. With a great fish of all things, and interestingly, I find that the fish becomes Jonah’s place of repentance and of transformation in the storm and in the fish. The hardship for Jonah was God’s redemptive transformative work shown us God’s mercy and a God of forever second chances. Hmm. I think it’s essential for us in our Christian walk, day-to-day living and seasons of life experiencing to recognize that God’s pursuit of us, it’s not meant to punish, but rather to redeem and restore. God desires a whole, complete wide open relationship with us and in his infinite love. He’s done all that’s necessary for that to happen, and then he relentlessly pursues us in that relationship, even in hardships in life for our own good. No matter how far we’ve strayed, how deep we may have fallen, how far away we feel from God, God’s arms are always right there, wide open, ready to receive us. When we turn to him in trust and faith and repentance, Jonah’s story serves as a reminder that, that no one is be beyond God’s reach and his pursuit knows no boundaries or ends. So when we are stuck in our own way of life, or life becomes difficult, recall that God often uses then hardships in life, the storms of life. As a opportunity and a call for you to turn to him in repentance and humility, and to trust in his unfailing love for you and his faithfulness toward you. So my prayer for you is that you’ll find comfort in knowing that our father in heaven will chase us even in our darkest moments. For, he longs to restore us to a life. Lived in communion with him. So how is this done, Todd? Sounds good. How’s it done? Well in our text, here’s where I would say it rests. It’s in the secret of remembrance. Here’s what I mean. Think about it. I mean, let me just back, pull back to us again for a bit. Can you think of a time when life. Seem to come crashing down on you. Even just being with you here. Now, I know some of you know exactly what that feels like right now. I mean, life throws us curve balls, doesn’t it? And they come unannounced and unexpected. And circumstances can sometimes converge together so that it feels like we are drowning. We’re in the depths of the sea, seaweed’s wrapped around our heads, and we’re brought down to the deep and even the our grave.

Wondering how we’ll ever get through this? Or will life ever again have joy or hope? It’s like being swallowed by despair. For Jonah, first, God sent the storm. And then as things went from bad to worse and he’s thrown overboard, God sent the fish. But Jonah’s prayer from the belly of the fish actually shows us today how to respond when life indeed does go from bad. To worse. First, Jonah resets his sights on God. He says in Jonah two, verse two, in my distress, I called to the Lord and he answered me from deep in the realm of the dead. I called for help and you listen to my cry. That’s kind of what I was trying to show with the the, during the children’s message. When life is hard, turn to God in prayer and your prayers will rise up to him. It’s a secret of remembrance. Jonah acknowledges his precarious situation. He says, the engulfing waters threatened me. The deep surrounded me seaweed is wrapped around my head To the roots of the mountains, I sank the earth beneath, barred me in forever. It, it’s not just poetry, it’s reality. Life was really precarious for him. So what was the turning point for Jonah? It’s the secret of remembrance. Jonah two, verse seven, he says, when my life was ebbing away, I remembered you Lord, and my prayer rose to you. The pivotal moment for Jonah was when he remembered God in the midst of his difficulty and turn to him in prayer. And my dear friend, that’s the same for you and me today, the secret of remembrance. When the currents of life swirl around you and you’re knocked down by the waves and breakers that sweep over you, that is the time to remember God and turn to him in prayer. Now, what is it that you remember? Well, it’s this just as Jonah did where the, in Jonah chapter two, it says, Jonah says, but you Lord, my God, brought my life from the pit. That’s what he’s remembering. And he states salvation comes from the Lord. Now he’s still in the fish when he says this. That’s a statement of faith, and I think that’s same for you and me when we’re in the midst of, of trouble, of wandering or of despair being swallowed by it In faith, confess that salvation comes from the Lord because faith is trusting in that which you don’t see. So when you don’t see it, look to the Lord in faith. And here’s what you remember. And I wanna put it in a, in a, in a, a plain way for you and for me, because Jonah didn’t know about Jesus. He was a prophet. Looking forward to Jesus. We know Jesus from the scriptures. So here’s a what I would say, remember above all things, remember Jesus.

Remember Jesus. When you are feeling swallowed by despair, look to Christ Jesus. Fix your eyes upon him. Who is your hope and salvation and ever present help in time of need. Now, I’m not saying that one prayer will remove every hardship from your life, okay? Because remember, even when Jonah prayed, he was still inside the fish, but God did deliver him. Even as God was with them, even in that belly of the fish, really, the point is this, Jonah, the bitter prophet, really points us forward to a better prophet, or it might say the perfect prophet Jesus actually mentions Jonah. During Christ’s public ministry and makes this connection in Matthew chapter 12, then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to Jesus, teacher, we wanna see a sign from you. He answered A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah, for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish. So the son of man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Jesus, the better, the perfect prophet would ultimately give up his life. To suffer. To suffer, broken, to bleed and die, and be in that grave for three days only to rise out of it. By God’s own power, showing himself to be fully God and accomplishing his salvation mission for you and for me, and to promise all who look to him new life now and everlasting life and resurrection to come. Jesus, who was three days in the belly of the earth, burst forth through his death and resurrection, defeating death and sin and the devil so that you and I might be redeemed from death. Not ever have to fear it and have the promise of new life to the full now and everlasting life and resurrection to come. Hmm. And so remember Jesus, the better prophet, the perfect prophet, our savior and Lord overall, that it is Jesus. We, we remember, especially in our darkest times, and that he will see us through to better days no matter what we experience. And through whom we are then given the courage to believe that he has our best interest in mind. Remember Jesus? Now I just wanna land this message on a real practical application of this. How do you remember Jesus? It’s not by focusing on your circumstances. We need outside inputs to get our mind’s eye focused back on Jesus. And here’s a simple way we talk about it here at Victory. It’s not just a thing, it’s not just a, a big poster, but you remember that that whole big banner out there, the 5% life, this is a way to really simply, but it can be a profound influence in how you practice your Christian faith and remember Jesus, especially when times are tough. Four different ways to invest your life. Invest 1% of your day. 15 minutes time with God in his word to hear from him. It’s God’s word that is truth, and that can change your life. It’s God’s word that brings you through which you you believe. Do you spend time each day with God, hearing from him and then speaking to him in prayer? God, God time. 15 minutes a day. Gather time. It’s what you’re doing right now. 1% of your week, about one and a half hours. Here you are for corporate worship. Gather time. I, it’s a time when we come together and we see others and we lift our voices and hearts up to God. We hear from his word. We lift up our prayers together. We enjoy fellowship with one another. We see that we’re part of something bigger than ourselves. And our, our, our perspective can change. And we can remember Jesus even as we spend time together worshiping him. Uh, you know, the idea is to put a sticker in any of those four quadrants out there on that banner. I encourage you to grab a gather time sticker on your way out and put it in that quadrant. Good for you. You’re here so that you might remember. Jesus. I. God time. Gather time, group time, 1% of your month, about seven to eight hours with a small group of people. We call them life groups. There’s Bible studies, there’s discipling huddles. It’s meant to be for you to have a posse of like six to 12 people, good Christian friends who have your back as you then get to study God’s word and get to know Jesus better. You have friends in your life, and I found. That times when I’m down or, or depressed or fallen, I, that’s when my Christian friends are super important to me to help actually point me to Jesus so that he might lift me up from when I’ve tripped and stumbled, and the time to have that posse of Christian friends.

Don’t wait till you’re in trouble. That’s too late. Do it now. Now, I’ll say to you as your pastor, we’re kinda weak in our Bible studies. We’ve got a heart for it. And there have been seasons of it, but we want to strengthen that ministry here at Victory that you might have a group of friends that to travel and share life together. God time, gather time, group time. Finally go time. It’s 2% of your year, about seven days involved in making a difference in someone else’s life for the sake of Christ. That’s what we’re doing through I help. That’s what the noisy offering is all about. A couple times a month, two nights each. We get to host women who are homeless and looking to get their feet back underneath them. And in a partnership with other churches and with Lutheran Social Services, it’s a great way to actually be a part of God’s mission. So if participated in the noisy offering today, grab a go sticker and put it up there. You’re investing yourself. And making a difference in someone else’s life for the sake of Christ. And you know what I’ve found? Whenever I am really sunk low, I kind of tend to look in upon myself. Nothing can change my perspective and actually help me see Jesus than actually serving someone else. It’s counterintuitive to how you’re feeling when you’re trapped in life, but when you can give to others, God does something and he fills up your heart anew. So may you know God’s continual pursuit of you. May you build in these rhythms in which you remember Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith, turning to him with your heart’s cry, especially when life is tough or you’re feeling far from him, or if you’ve even been running from him, he’s pursuing you with his love. Turn to him in faith. Let’s pray. Loving and gracious God. Thank you for your unfailing mercy and your boundless grace. Help us like Jonah, crying to you from the depths of the sea. May we also turn to you in times of distress, time of need, and find life and redemption in your P, in your presence, and in who you are. Living God empower us to embrace your calling with unwavering faith and to endure life in the hope of your promises and the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, knowing that even in our lowest moments, you are always there ready to rescue and guide us. I pray this in the powerful name of Jesus, our Savior and Lord. Amen.