Stress Test Devotional April 27
April 27, 2024
DAY 14
Prayer is either sincere or insincere. The author of the Jonah story has the prophet pray a psalm-like prayer of dubious sincerity. Jonah promises to keep the vow and go to Nineveh, but as we see later, he is still angry about the idea of preaching to pagans. He is still not accepting God’s will. He is simply stuck in the belly of the whale needing rescue. Wanting help and embracing obedience are two different things. Notice Jonah still thinks of himself, in contrast to pagans who “worship useless idols,” as an impressive man of God. He is responding to a crisis where only God can rescue him with a poetic description of his own faithfulness. In reality, he is a rebel who is disobedient and resistant to God’s purpose, resentful of God’s concern for a pagan people, and unable to see God at work in others. He needs to pray for forgiveness!
Are your prayers real, honest, and sincere?
FAMILY TIME:
Pray together as a family. Start with confession—it tends to make the rest of our prayers more authentic.
