What To Do If You're Trapped Inside a Fish or an Addiction

Welcome to the Recovered Christian, the podcast for believers who want to break the chains of addiction and live a recovered life. Join host Suzanne Bloomer each week as she shares her personal journey of recovery, provides encouragement for yours and takes a deep dive into the scriptures. God wrote a book, and the Bible is full of hope, wisdom and practical applications for all of us. So whether you're just starting on the road to sobriety or are hoping to take the first step, this podcast is for you. Tune in each week for a biblical shot of courage and let's recover your life, one devotion at a time. Now here's Suzanne with Today's Show.

Hey everyone, this is Suzanne, and welcome to Today's Show. What do you do when you're in trouble, when things feel hopeless and dire, or when the way is blocked and you can't find a way out? What do you do? Where do you turn? I do what most people do I try to figure it out on my own. Our human nature is to be self-sufficient and rely on ourselves, rely on our mental and physical abilities to figure out problems, to rescue ourselves from harm. Anyone who grew up without someone taking care of them, like I did, knows this all too well. I had no choice but to help myself. No one else was doing it. I had to take care of myself in every situation. But that is not what God calls us to do. The Bible tells us over and over again to call on God when we are in trouble, lost, weary, overburdened, scared. Let's look at Jonah. There's nothing more troubling than being stuck in the belly of a fish. I mean, honestly, I'm not sure I'd have the presence of mind to do anything, but Jonah did. God gave Jonah a message Go to the city of Nineveh and announce the Lord's judgment against it. At the time, nineveh was the capital of Assyria, a city full of violence and wickedness, a city so big it took three days to see it all. Bless Jonah's heart. He didn't want to head over to Nineveh, so he ran away. He boarded a ship and sailed away in the other direction. But you can't escape God when he is pursuing you for good and for bad. The Lord caused a powerful storm to come upon the ship. The crew drew lots to find out who had quote offended their gods, and Jonah was found to be the culprit. Jonah told them he served the Lord L-O-R-D. Capital letters the God of Heaven who made the sea and the land. Jonah told them the storm was all his fault for running away from God and that they should just throw him overboard. And so they did. And immediately the storm subsided, the sailors were awestruck by the Lord's power and vowed to serve him. Score a big win for God. But he wasn't done with Jonah. God had arranged for great fish to swallow Jonah, and there he stayed for three days and three nights. Wow, three days and three nights that's a long time to be in a fish. We don't know what Jonah was thinking during this time. Was he mad at God for allowing this? Mad at himself for his disobedience? Resigned to his fate, wondering why he was still there and not fish food, scared, hopeless, angry, numb. No, we don't know. But after three days Jonah prayed, and these are the scriptures from Jonah, chapter 2. Then Jonah prayed to the Lord, his God, from inside the fish. He said. I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead and Lord, you heard me. You threw me into the ocean depths. I sank down to the heart of the sea. The mighty waters engulfed me. I was buried beneath your wild and stormy waves. Then I said oh Lord, you have driven me from your presence. Yet I will look once more towards your holy temple. I sank beneath the waves and the waters closed over me. Seaweed wrapped itself around my head. I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But you, oh Lord, my God, snatched me from the jaws of death. As my life was slipping away, I remembered the Lord and my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy temple. Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God's mercies, but I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise and I will fulfill all my vows, for my salvation comes from the Lord alone. Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach. We don't know why it took Jonah three days to start praying, but when he did, god answered. He repented his disobedience and God saved him. He promised to fulfill his vows and God ordered the fish to spit him out safe, unharmed and whole. When we are in trouble, our first action should be to pray, to call on the Lord for help. The Father of all things, the Creator of the universe, the Master of the heavenly armies, hears us. He can stop the storm in an instant, he can turn hearts of evil towards him and he can order a fish to spit out his beloved child. When we feel trapped by life's challenges, our first instinct should be to call upon God, recognizing his sovereignty and our dependence on him. This doesn't come naturally, at least not to me, but you can develop it and cultivate it and practice it until it does. Jonah's prayer reflects a pivotal moment of surrender. He acknowledges that salvation belongs to the Lord, recognizing God's sovereignty over his life. Surrendering to God's will in times of trouble requires humility, faith and a willingness to let go of our plans and our own desires. It also requires trust that God will do what he promises. And let's take a look at a few other scriptures Psalm 50, verse 15. Call on me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you and you will honor me. Psalm 34, verse 17. The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. I love that one. Psalm 145, verse 18. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. Jeremiah 33.3. Call to me and I will answer you until you great and unsearchable things you do not know. Isaiah 41, verse 10. Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. 1 Peter, 5, verse 7,. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Matthew 11, verse 28,. One of my very favorites. Then Jesus said Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 2 Chronicles, chapter 17, verse 14, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. And lastly, psalm chapter 18, verse 6, but in my distress, I cried out to the Lord. Yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary, my cry to him reached his ears. Love, love, the picture of that. These verses tell us over and over that God hears us, he draws near to us in times of trouble, he will strengthen us, he loves us. I have never been stuck in the belly of a fish for three days, but I have been stuck in sickness and despair and hopelessness. Every time I called on God, he was there. One time I even heard his audible voice comforting me and guiding me, and I will never forget it. We need to make it a practice to call on Him in times of trouble and not call on ourselves. To turn to Him for direction and help, and not the world. To stop worrying and start praying. This was hard for me at first, but the more I intentionally did it, the more natural it became, and I'm still working on it. I'm just going to keep at it, because our Father wants nothing more than to have a close, intimate relationship with us. He is our Father, who loves us. Let Him be your Father. Go to Him for everything, good and bad, problems, and thanksgiving. He will always be there. He will never let you down. No one on this physical earth can promise that to you, but he can. He told us he can and he will. I'll see you next time.

Again, thanks for listening and we hope you'll join us again on the Recovered Christian.