Inside the Great Fish

Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying, “I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’ The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God. When my life was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD!” And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.
Jonah 2:1–10
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Inside the Great Fish
How could a man live inside the stomach of a great fish for three days and three nights? Under normal circumstances it would be impossible, but these are not normal circumstances. Likewise, under normal circumstances a dead man does not rise from the dead and live again. It is quite remarkable that from the belly of the great fish, Jonah prays and calls upon his God. Jonah should have died in the storm. He should have died in the belly of a fish large enough to consume him. Likewise, we should have died from the attack of our sin, the devil, and the world. We should have been consumed by the wrath of a jealous God that hates those who break his commandments. Out of his great love for us and his mercy on the children of man, God preserves us and God preserved Jonah. We raise up our voices in thanksgiving for the blood that Jesus spilled to give us life, preserve us, and stop the wrath of God. God shows love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. God shows love to those wrapped in the righteousness of Jesus. You are his delight, and he keeps you safe in the most hostile places.