A Prayer from the Tomb

Prayer Corner

A Prayer from the Tomb

The Old Testament story of Jonah being swallowed by a big fish and being expelled after three days presages Jesus’ burial in the tomb followed by resurrection from the dead. There are times in this imperfect earthly life when we are cast into the pit or figurative belly of the big fish. We might feel as though we are buried in sorrow, despair or sin. These are tough times indeed.

Here is the Good News. Christianity is a resurrection story. As a matter of fact, we must die to the old self and be born anew in Jesus the Christ. Christianity is also a religion of faith, hope and love. Jesus will not allow us to stay in the pit or make ourselves comfortable there. Like Jonah, call out to God in your distress so you may come out of the darkness into light.

Read Jonah’s prayer, meditate on it, pray it like your own. Resurrection and new birth await.

Jonah 2:1-9 (NRSV)

1 Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying,

"I called to the LORD out of my distress,

and he answered me;

out of the belly of Sheol I cried,

and you heard my voice.

3 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.

4 Then I said, 'I am driven away

from your sight;

how shall I look again

upon your holy temple?'

5 The waters closed in over me;

the deep surrounded me;

weeds were wrapped around my head

6 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.

7 As my life was ebbing away,

I remembered the LORD;

and my prayer came to you,

into your holy temple.

8 Those who worship vain idols

forsake their true loyalty.

9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving

will sacrifice to you;

what I have vowed I will pay.

Deliverance belongs to the LORD!"

Watch My Tongue

^{Psalm 39:1} I said, "I will keep watch upon my ways,*

so that I do not offend with my tongue."

Life would certainly be much simpler if I paid closer attention to my tongue. I am capable of sticking my foot in my mouth with the best of them. I am learning gradually to keep holy silence. There is a time to speak up and a time to keep quiet, may the Lord help me know the difference. I pray that my words may only speak love.

Feeling Weak Sometimes?

Tip#20 - You are Strong When You are Weak

One of the paradoxes of living a holy life is that even when feeling weak, one can be strong through grace. 2Corinthians 12:9-10 addresses this paradox. "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore, I am content with weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong."

The weaker I am, the more I depend upon Christ for strength. Here is an example. My body has a chronic illness or two. Some might say that I am weaker because of this; but that is not the case at all. It is during those times of weakness that I rely most upon Jesus for my strength. Those are my times of greatest strength. I give up busyness and take on the simple life of prayer and meditation resulting in a strength that previously seemed unattainable.

Every Yes is a No

Tip#15: Yes, Yes, or No, No

When I say, "Yes," to one thing, I am saying, "No," to something else. It would be nice if we could actually do everything we want to do; but, a reality of this life is that there are 24 hours in a day and we need to spend a good portion of those hours sleeping.

Last year a friend and I decided to learn how to play bagpipes. We were assured that if we practiced an hour/day we could learn to play bagpipes in one year. That is most likely true. We haven't found out because we haven't said, "No," to something else that takes an hour/day.

That is part of the beauty of simplicity. By living simply, we can say, "Yes," more often, be more available. Before taking on something new, it is important to decide what will be dropped to make room for the new activity, then, decide which is most important.

Matthew 5.37:

Let your word be “Yes, Yes” or “No, No”; anything more than this comes from the evil one.

Simplicity Yields Great Returns

Tip #14 Simple is More

One of the vows that Anglican Dominicans take is a life vow of simplicity. As a novice in the Order of Preachers and learning to live with simplicity, I have learned that simplicity is more, more time, more resources, more peace of mind. All of this is dedicated to God.

Unfortunately, simplicity is a gift that many reject. What is complicating your life right now? Life is difficult and we often must face serious problems. There is no reason to carry that burden alone. Turn it over to God, lay it at His feet.

Rev. Mark Brown has additional words regarding this topic.

http://journeyintotheword.com/2011/01/seeking-the-simple-life/

One Thing

Tip#13 Do Just One Thing

Living with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue taught me one lesson extremely well, strive to do the one thing. In the past I created complicated lists of things 'to do' and get done in a given portion of time. Always, without exception, I failed to do it all. When I became ill I was forced to live with the reality that I'd be fortunate to accomplish even one thing on my list. That meant setting priorities and focusing in a new way. This resulted in a simpler life with a greater sense of satisfaction.

This article, How to Accomplish More with Only One Thing, by Rebecca Barlow Jordan, contains good ideas regarding the application of this principle.