The Prayer of a Rebel Prophet

As we look at the second chapter of Jonah this week, we find the prophet was not only reluctant to call out God's word against Nineveh, but in his guilt and anger is also reluctant to call out to the Lord himself. Not until Jonah reaches the depths of despair - quite literally - do we hear his first words to God.
Jonah prays, "when my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord." However, what he has learned is that the Lord has never forgotten him. Through his own undeserved, miraculous deliverance Jonah has been reminded afresh of the Lord's steadfast love and compassion. Perhaps now he will take the Word of the Lord to Nineveh as commanded? After all, he now knows there is no escaping the Lord. And what's more, the Lord isn't quite finished with Jonah just yet.
We are always in 'God's classroom'. Whether it be in the storms of life, the belly of a great fish, or just the daily chores and responsibilities, we can often find ourselves 'at sea'. Yet, like Jonah, we can know the Lord never forgets us, that his ear is always inclined to our prayers, and that he is constantly teaching us and growing us up in the waves of his love and grace.