In
my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From the depths of the
grave I called for help, and you
listened to my cry.
Salvation
comes from the LORD.—Jonah
2:2,9
There is no doubt in my mind that the Word of God
teaches us everything we need to know about prayer, and if we would simply spend
time perusing God’s Word and asking Him to show us, our prayer life would
dramatically increase.
Jonah is a wonderful example of prayer. Jonah, the
ungodly man, the man who simply tried to do his own thing, finally ended up in
the belly of the whale. It is strange that when Jonah was in the belly of the
whale we do not find him yelling, “Help me out of here, God!” Instead, he is
quoting nine or ten passages of Scripture and looking to God for his
deliverance. At last he says, “I finally understand that salvation is from the
Lord” and the whale puked Jonah up on dry land. What an unbelievable
experience! God sometimes has us in the belly of the whale so that we in turn
will turn to the Scriptures.
The Scripture is the basis for all that we do.
Prayer is very important, but it must be based on the Word of God. I am so
thankful for parents who taught me the Word of God from my earliest times.
Evidently Jonah had learned a great deal of Scripture, and when his feet were
put to the fire, what came out was his knowledge of the Scripture. Learn the
Scriptures—they are your life.
Ask God to open your eyes to increase your under-standing through a greater knowledge of Scripture. Ask God to make His Word alive in your prayers.