SURRENDER IN THE DEEP 

Bernadette Keene 

Today’s Scripture: “But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!” Jonah 2:9, ESV 

Theme: Prayer moves God. It may not be to your will, but He hears and responds.  

NIGHT PROMPTING 

Like Jonah, there have been times in my life when God has asked me to do something that I did not want to do. Luckily for me, I did not end up in the belly of a fish with seaweed wrapped around my head. But I did know God was asking something of me, and He did not leave me alone until I responded. At first, it was prompting in the middle of the night, waking up thinking of an encounter I had on a beach several years before. I was walking on a beach, I asked God for a big shell, and He gave it to me. There is much more to the story, but the main theme here is obedience.  

After many nights and days of running from God, I finally surrendered and did what He asked. At 5:00 in the morning on November 7, 2021, I got up and made a video, sharing the encounter with God on the beach. I sent it out and felt relief, but I did not really understand why God wanted me to do it. I was obedient and I let God manage the rest. In the video, I shared Isaiah 43:2 and I talked about how God saves us from drowning in the deep waters of life, even when we run from Him. I wrote down the date of the video in a journal and went on with life.  

FAST FORWARD 

Fast forward one year: I had just experienced a tragic family event and was in recovery, but not doing well. The Holy Spirit kept bringing to my mind to find the journal. I looked high and low for that journal and could not find it, so I started to ignore the promptings. At first all was quiet, but then one day God just would not let up. When I got home from work that day, I stood in the middle of my living room having a conversation with God about that journal. I prayed aloud, telling Him I looked and could not find it! Now, I do not know if other people have these experiences, but what happened next gave me Holy Spirit goose bumps. I walked into my bedroom and looked around. I noticed an unframed picture of Jesus holding a bird in His hands and felt led to go look behind it, and when I did, I found the journal! I asked God to show me what He wanted me to see and when I opened the journal, there on the page was the date—November 7, 2021—with the note about the video testimony. I had made a video about the deep waters exactly one year to the day of my family tragedy. 

Make It Personal: Now, you may be thinking… what does any of this have to do with Jonah? Well, just this: God knew the Ninevites would repent, but He also needed to reach Jonah. Sometimes God sends us to save us! Yes, people benefit from our obedience, and God is glorified in that, but in the process, He shows us mercy when we run. Just as He forgave the Ninevites, He forgave Jonah. He knew I would need to hear my own testimony one year from the day He had me share it. Yes, people benefited from it, but it was for me too, to help me remember His mercy and love for me when I needed it the most. 

Pray: Lord, we surrender our own will to Yours. Help us to make good on the commitments we have made to You and give us hearts that are ready and willing to obey wherever You call. Strengthen us to walk the path You put before us with complete trust, Amen. 

Read: Hebrews 13:5; Isaiah 43:2 

Weekly Memory Verse: “When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.” Jonah 2:7, ESV