When Life Is Hard
Submitted by Steve Clark
May 15, 2025
Jonah 2:3 ...all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.
As you read chapter 2 of Jonah, you realize in just the first verse that he is in a very bad place.
He’s in the belly of a fish God had prepared for him. Can you imagine the smell of being in the belly of anything? But that wasn’t the only thing Jonah was dealing with! There was no light, it was tight quarters, and in verse 3, he was “in the midst of the seas.”
If you have ever been to the deep end of a swimming pool, you know that when you get to a certain depth, there is pressure on your eardrums, and it can be very uncomfortable. For the fish, no problem, but for Jonah, he wasn’t made for this.
Now at this point, you may be asking, “Where are you going with all this?” Do you ever feel like there are pressures on you that are hard to deal with? Do you feel like nothing is going right?
When you are in the belly of the great fish, there is only one way out. Jon 2:9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.
Jonah knew the “lying vanities” of verse 8 could not promise his rescue. Let’s just look at some of these lying vanities that we deal with today.
Many believe that if they just had a little more money, it would provide a better life and give them more peace of mind. Money promises what it cannot give!
Today, pornography is a big deal everywhere from the pulpit to the pew. But again, like money, it promises what it cannot give, and you find yourself in the belly of a fish!
Jesus offers nothing but the truth! He offers the mercy of God which is what Jonah needed. But its also something that we need as well. Sometimes, like Jonah did in verse 1, we just need to stop and pray. Sometimes, we need to do more than that.
Question: When was the last time you just sat down and thought about who God is and what He can do? Just think about that for a minute…who is God and what kind of power does He have?
It doesn’t take long and you will start to gain some hope. And when you have hope, you can get through anything! With God, you too can make it when life is hard.
Consider – If the going gets too easy, you may be going downhill.
