Salvation is of the Lord

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. – Jonah 2.7-9

Jonah’s disobedience resulted in one of the best know events in the Bible. Everybody knows the story of Jonah and the whale. At this point of the event Jonah has been thrown overboard after convincing the sailors that he was to blame for the violent storm they had encountered.

God had prepared an unusual rescue. There was a whale or a ‘great fish’ ready to swallow him alive. It did and Jonah found himself awake and aware of his situation. There isn’t much more of way to be ‘in the depth’ than to be in the depths in a whale’s belly.

It couldn’t get any worse, obviously, so he did what he should have done a long time before – he prayed. He remembered the Lord, who he never should have forgotten, and prayed. He knew he had forsaken God’s mercies.

But he also knew there was a way back. I am not a big fan of Jonah, but at least he knew that he had to have God as his answer. He knew that his only hope for deliverance was from the Lord. No one else could help, but God alone.

I don’t want to stretch things too much, but Jonah found himself where all men are without Christ. The only source of salvation for Jonah was the Lord, and the Lord is the source of salvation for the world today. There is no other name under heaven whereby men may be saved.