Have you ever driven through an area with bad cell phone service? Even in the midst of it, you likely keep dialing, right? You know there's a signal around there somewhere, so you don't give up, even though you doubt that your call will go through. You keep dialing and dialing and dialing, and eventually it connects.
That's what I think of when I read Jonah's prayer. Jonah is in the midst of distress, in a fish sent by God to swallow him in the depths, but God still hears Jonah's cry. Jonah keeps praying, despite his challenging circumstances. It would be easy to think that God wouldn't hear Jonah, but Jonah still prays. He's in despair, and the logical thing to do is pray, so he prays. And Jonah's prayer is heard, just as our prayers are heard, even in the midst of our distress, even in challenging circumstances. The waves and billows pass over us, and it feels as though we are driven from God's sight, and yet we can have hope because God hears our prayers, even in distress.
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