By Ife J. Ibitayo
This the fourth and final article in a series on unreliable idols. For Part 1 on Fame, click here. Part 2 on Fortune, click here. Part 3 on Freedom, click here.
There once lived a man named Jonah. He was a well-known prophet of God who preached to royalty (2 Kings 14:23-25) and was even spoken of by Jesus Himself (Matthew 12:40-12:41, Matthew 16:4). But he too struggled with an idol in his heart: his homeland of Israel.
The LORD called him to preach a message of judgment and repentance to Assyria, the empire that was oppressing their nation, but Jonah fled by boat in the opposite direction (Jonah 1:1-3). When the judgment of God caught up with him in the form of a mighty storm, he tried to commit suicide by having himself flung into the sea (Jonah 1:4-15). But God sent a large fish to swallow him (Jonah 1:17). At his lowest, engulfed by the consequences of his idolatry, he uttered a prayer to God that I found deeply moving.
Speak to God
Jonah begins his prayer, “In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.” (Jonah 2:1 NIV).
From his watery grave, Jonah cries out to God. He recognizes that even in this deep pit, God can still hear him, and from there God can still rescue him.
Speak to Yourself
In Jonah 2:3, Jonah speaks of the torment he’s in. He says, “You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me.” He doesn’t pretend everything’s alright; he admits his anguish. But he doesn’t stop there.
He says he told himself, “‘”I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple”‘” (Jonah 2:4 NIV). Jonah encourages himself with what he knows to be true. He knew daybreak would follow his long night. He knew he would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living even while clutched by the jaws of death. Etched into the fabric of his heart was the knowledge that the God he served was faithful, even when he wasn’t (2 Timothy 2:13).
Speak to Your Idols
Lastly, Jonah says, “‘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'” (Jonah 2:8-9 NIV)! Jonah finally saw his idols for what they truly were: Vain, useless, and utterly unreliable. They could not satisfy him, save him, or fulfill his heart’s desires the way God could.
We too must come to a place where we can speak this truth about our own idols. Fame, fortune, freedom, or anything else in this entire world cannot fill the God-shaped hole in our hearts.
Conclusion
After this prayer, God spoke to the large fish that had swallowed Jonah, and it vomited him onto dry ground (Jonah 2:10). God then recommissioned Jonah to fulfill the mission He’d given him in the first place, the one he’d vowed to fulfill while in the belly of the deep (Jonah 3:1-2).
This commission can be the hardest part of the journey. When we’re at our lowest, we may cry out to God, recognize our idols, and even vow to be the parent, spouse, or employee we’d once set out to be. But once God sets us back on the shore, following through with that decision is a daily test. We must continue setting one foot in front of the other, leaving our idols behind and straining to grasp the God in front of us.
He is waiting for us with open arms.
“O Israel, stay away from idols! I am the one who answers your prayers and cares for you. I am like a tree that is always green; all your fruit comes from me.”
(Hosea 14:8 NLT)