David Jeremiah - Praying Your Way Out of Trouble (02/15/2026)
In Jonah chapter 2, Pastor David Jeremiah walks us through Jonah’s desperate prayer from inside the great fish after running from God. The sermon shows how trouble—especially from our own disobedience—drives us to cry out honestly to the Lord, look at our mess, remember His past faithfulness, and recommit with thanksgiving, leading to the powerful truth that salvation is of the Lord alone.
The Fall of Jonah — A Lesson from Real-Life Trouble
We are studying the book of Jonah, and every week is more intriguing. This week is the same. Several years ago, Randy Reed, a 34-year-old construction worker, was welding on top of a nearly completed water tower outside of Chicago. He’d unhooked his safety gear to reach for some pipes when a metal cage slipped and bumped the scaffolding on which he was standing. The scaffolding tipped, Reed slipped, and he fell 110 feet. He fell face down into a pile of dirt. He barely missed the rocks and the construction debris. When the paramedics arrived, he was breathing, and they hoisted him onto the backboard and began carrying him to the ambulance. He even spoke. And what did the man who had fallen 110 feet say? You’re not going to believe what he said. He said, «Don’t drop me.»
Doctors said Reed came away from the accident with only minor injuries, just a bruised lung and a bad backache. As we open our Bibles tonight to Jonah chapter 2, Jonah has taken a fall of his own. But his fall wasn’t caused by a slipping scaffold. It was caused by a rebellious heart. He has run from God, and now he is at the lowest point in his life. What did he do? The Bible says in Jonah 2:1, «Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly.»
Notice the word «then.» Remember all that has led up to this moment. Jonah went down to Joppa in the opposite direction he was supposed to go. He boarded a boat. A storm arose, and sailors threw him overboard. The sea swallowed him up. A great fish dragged him into the deep. And then finally, when Jonah had no plans left or no place to go, Jonah prayed.
Trouble Brings Us to Prayer — Biblical Examples
That’s a very interesting thing, because trouble has a way of bringing us to our knees, does it not? It’s the theme that runs throughout the entire Bible again and again in Scripture. When people found themselves in desperate circumstances, they cried out to the Lord. Hannah was crushed in spirit and full of shame because she couldn’t have a child. And the Bible says that she poured out her heart and asked God for a son, and the Lord answered her prayer. He gave her Samuel, who would grow up to be one of Israel’s greatest prophets.
And then there was King Hezekiah. When the Assyrians surrounded Jerusalem, Hezekiah spread their threats before the Lord and prayed. And that night, God struck down 185,000 soldiers, and the city was saved. Peter stepped out of a boat to walk toward Jesus, but when he saw the wind and became afraid and started to sink, he shouted, «Lord, save me!» And Jesus immediately reached out His hand and caught him.
Now, before we go any further, I want to remind you that trouble comes to us for a lot of different reasons. Sometimes it’s simply part of life in a fallen world. Trouble is everywhere, and you can’t escape it. The Bible says it’s like sparks that fly upward. We should never look at someone suffering and automatically assume that sin is the cause. For example, Joseph was faithful and he was godly. There’s not an evil word spoken of him in the Bible, but he suffered perhaps more than anyone in the Old Testament.
Jonah’s Trouble from Disobedience — When We Reach the End
Jonah is different. His trouble came from willful disobedience. And sometimes we reach the end of our own resources because of the choices we have made. And that is exactly what we need. That is exactly where Jonah is in chapter 2. So what do you do when life is overwhelming and problems seem to stalk you? I hope you do what Jonah did. I hope you pray. Today I want to show you how he prayed and hope you will keep this close by as a guide for the moment when trouble surrounds you.
First of all, Jonah looked up. Jonah looked up and cried out to the Lord. Verse 2 says, «I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, and he answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.» Jonah described his experience as an affliction and being in the belly of Sheol. In the Old Testament, the word Sheol was used to describe the realm of the dead. So Jonah was saying, «I was as good as dead, and I cried out to the Lord for help.»
Twice in verse 2, Jonah says he cried out, cried out to the Lord. Jonah did not simply call on the name of the Lord. He did not politely ask the Lord for help or plead with the Lord. He cried out to Him.
Crying Out Desperately — Personal Stories of Intense Prayer
Have you ever cried out to the Lord? It reminds me of a time when we were living in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Donna called and said our little girl’s fever had suddenly spiked, and I could hear the concern in her voice, and I knew it was serious. So I headed home right away, and before I got there, I saw our neighbor’s car coming toward me, and Donna rolled the window down and said, «Follow us to the hospital.» Jan was in the back seat, and as I followed that car to the hospital, I felt completely helpless. I couldn’t fix it. There was nothing I could do but pray. So I drove, and I cried out to the Lord.
Have you ever prayed a desperate prayer? I mean, not a routine prayer before a meal or at bedtime, but the kind you pray when you’re in bed, and the bottom falls out. And you realize you cannot fix what you’re facing, and most of us have been there. And if we’re Christians at all, we’ve at least attempted to cry out to God. When I had cancer years ago, I used to go to the Brooklyn Tabernacle to preach, and they have a Tuesday night prayer meeting there that is something else to behold. And they would tell me, «Dr. Jeremiah, we cry out to God for you.»
I learned from them the difference between praying and crying out to God. The difference is intensity and sincerity and discipline. We know the words of Jonah that were spoken in his prayer, but we can only imagine his tone. I picture Jonah screaming with all of his might. I see tears running down his face and his voice cracking with fear.
God Listens to Honest Cries — Mercy for the Imperfect
Cameron Thompson wrote a little book on prayer, and in it he said this: «There comes a time, in spite of our soft modern ways, when we must be desperate in prayer, when we must wrestle, when we must be outspoken and shameless and importunate. Many of the prayers recorded in Scripture are cries, and the Hebrew and Greek words are very strong. Despite opinions to the contrary, the Bible recognized such a thing as storming heaven with your prayers.» It is not that we overcome the reluctance of God. But rather that we take hold of His willingness, plowing through principalities and powers and inviting His almighty power into our desperate needs.
The biggest surprise in verse 2 is not that Jonah prayed, but that God listened. God had every right to ignore Jonah, but when the prophet finally prayed, the Lord was paying attention. He said, «I am here. I am listening. I hear you, Jonah.» That must have been extremely comforting to the prophet, especially with the situation he was in.
What a great lesson that is for all of us. God is not waiting to hear from perfect people. There are no perfect people. Did you know that? Not here, not anywhere on the face of the earth. He’s not looking for sinless cries. He just wants honest cries for help. That is why the Psalmist wrote, «In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened.» Again in Psalm 102, «He shall regard the prayer of the destitute and shall not despise their prayer.»
The book of Hebrews tells us that because of Christ, we can come boldly to the throne of grace, and there we’ll receive mercy, and we will find grace to help when we need it the most. I read something this week that I think will challenge us in a good way. Listen to these words. If you and I are coming to a throne of grace, we should come expecting mercy. It would be a strange thing to go to a well and not expect water. It would be stranger still to go to the throne of grace and not expect mercy.
If God would listen to Jonah from the depths of the sea, don’t you think he will listen to you no matter where you are or what you may have done? If you are piled high with trouble and you feel like you’re in Sheol, look up and cry out to the Lord and ask Him to help. If you don’t deserve it, do it anyway. And do it because of that, and He will give you—what is mercy? Mercy is undeserved grace in your life.
So the first thing that Jonah did when he prayed was he looked up.
Looking Around — Honest Confession of the Mess
Number two, he looked around. Verses 3 through 7. Notice that Jonah started with God. He cried out to Him, and then the prophet faced the mess he was in. That’s instructive, isn’t it? How often do we do the other thing? We start with our problem, and then we get to God later on. And then we cry out to God. And maybe we should start with God, and then that would be putting our problems in perspective.
Remember, the Lord’s Prayer begins with, «Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.» Long before you say, «Give us this day our daily bread,» you’re honoring the Lord. And so after crying out to the Lord, the next thing Jonah did was take an honest look at where his disobedience had led him. He didn’t pretend everything was great. Instead, he described the mess he was in.
Listen to this from verses 3 through 7. He said, «For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the floods surrounded me. All your billows and your waves passed over me. Then I said, 'I have been cast out of your sight, yet I will look again toward your holy temple.' The waters surrounded me, even to my soul. The deep closed around me, and weeds were wrapped around my head. I went down to the moorings of the mountains, and the earth with its bars closed behind me forever. Yet you have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. My soul fainted within me.»
Jonah tells the Lord exactly what he’s experiencing. He says a flood is chasing him. Waves are crashing over him. Seaweed is tangled around his head, and he is sinking toward the foundations of the mountains. He feels as if the earth itself is shuddering around him, and he is drowning. It is a terrifying picture, and he does not hide it from God.
Confessing to God — Casting Cares Because He Cares
It’s important for us to tell God what’s going on in our lives. You say, «Well, Pastor Jeremiah, doesn’t the Bible say God already knows?» Yes, he does. But he wants you to spell it out, because he wants you to know that you know what’s going on with you. It is good for us to do the same. When we honestly lay our problems before the Lord, the burden becomes a little lighter.
If you are overwhelmed with trouble, you can try it today. You might say something like this, «Lord, I’ve made a wreck of my life and wounded the people I love.» Or, «Lord, it feels like you are distant and have abandoned me.» Or maybe, «Lord, I’m drowning. I’m not sure how I’m going to pay my bills.» Or, «Lord, my friends have left me, and I feel so alone.»
That is what King David did in Psalm 142. He said, «I pour out my complaint before him. I declare before him my trouble.» Those types of prayers are what the New Testament encourages us to pray. Listen to what Peter wrote. «Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon him, for he cares for you.»
In Jonah’s case, he had to learn the humble yourself part. Once he was humbled, and he surely was humbled, he learned the second part of this verse. Jonah learned that he could take all of his cares and let go of them. More than that, he could cast them onto God because he knew how much God cared for him.
How about you? How about all of us here tonight? Are we humble enough to give God our problems? I mean, like he doesn’t already know them? We’re gonna keep our problems from him? He wants us to confess our problems in his hearing.
From Confession to Hope — God Lifts from the Pit
Notice where all of this led for the prophet. Describing to the Lord the terrible place he was in did not lead to despair. Instead, it led to hope. In verse 6, Jonah says, «Yet you have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God.» Here is what Jonah learned about the Lord. He is the God of life and not death. He lifts people up. He does not crush them.
When Jonah was as low as a man could go, God became the lifter of his head and restorer of his soul. And what God did for Jonah, he will do for us. If we read the book of Jonah and we just learn the story, and we’re glad we learned the story, it’s not really gonna help us at all. We need to understand that the God of Jonah is our God. And the problems Jonah had are like problems we have. And how Jonah dealt with those problems in his prayer is an example to all of us as to how we should pray.
You may feel as though you have reached the bottom. You may feel stuck, overwhelmed, or ashamed of how you got there. But God is a life giver. When we are honest with him about our condition, about what we’ve done and where we’re going and what we’re facing, he begins to put hope back in our hearts.
So don’t avoid what you’re going through. Don’t minimize it or pretend it isn’t real. If you feel like you’re drowning, tell the Lord exactly what you’re going through. Describe the pain to him and let him give you a new perspective on life. Let him bring your life up from the pit.
Several years ago, when I was going through some pretty tough times, I was in the middle of journaling. I haven’t always journaled, but I have periodically in my life. And when I go back and look at my prayers during that time, I’m kind of shocked at the honesty I had as I told the Lord what was going on. Most of you know that when you have problems and you get past them, you repress them. You don’t think about them and oftentimes you forget them. But I went back and looked and I realized what I was dealing with then and how God helped me, because I honestly opened my heart and told him what was happening and what my feelings in my heart were.
Looking Back — Remembering God’s Faithfulness
In verse 7, we learn that Jonah looked back. He looked up, he looked around, he looked back. Verse 7 says, «When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer went up to you, into your holy temple. Those who regard worthless idols forsake their own mercy.»
Jonah looked back and remembered the Lord, and his mind went to God’s holy temple. He went back to the good days he had known in his walk with God. One of the things that happens when you realize you’re not walking with the Lord—and some of you may be in that very place tonight—is that you need to stop and remember what it was like when you were in fellowship with Him.
I promise you, whatever you’re chasing right now, it is not nearly as satisfying, not nearly as joyful as what you once knew when you and the Lord were in fellowship with each other. I’ve never met anyone who said that running after the pleasures of this world gave them anything close to the joy they once had when they walked with God.
Do you remember what that was like? Do you remember going to church instead of being coaxed or pressured to go? Do you remember being encouraged to read the Bible? Do you remember the peace of a clear conscience? When you get out of fellowship with God, that joy begins to fade, and you can begin to think you’re having fun, but the truth is there is no joy like the joy of walking in fellowship with Jesus and knowing there’s nothing between you and the Savior.
So look back and remember the good times. The psalmist said it this way: «I will remember the works of the Lord. Surely I will remember your wonders of old. I will meditate on all your works.» We sing one of Donna’s favorite songs here often, «We Will Remember,» and that is a reminder to us of the importance of using our memory bank to help us recall the good things that God has done for us.
Remembering God’s Works — From Scripture and Life
If you are in a tough spot with the Lord today, take a moment and remember the works of the Lord. The psalmist calls them wonders. You can find them in your Bible. The Lord parted the Red Sea, He shut the mouth of lions, and He raised the dead to life. You can find them in your own life. Think about the doors He’s opened for you, the sins He’s forgiven, the burdens He’s carried. Think about the way He fearfully and wonderfully put you together in the beginning.
And you can find them in the lives of other Christians. Remember the marriages the Lord has restored, the addictions He’s broken, the prodigals He has brought home. And if you listen to the baptismal testimonies in this church, you will have plenty of opportunities to see how God works in the lives of people. And you can remember those and find joy in those. Look back on the wonderful works of the Lord.
Jonah looked back and he remembered the goodness of the Lord, but he also remembered something else. And it is kind of profound, if you want to know the truth. It’s a lesson anyone who has run away from God understands. Jonah said that he came to realize that when people give their lives to worthless idols, they forfeit their own mercy. What a trade that is. What a horrible trade.
When we cling to idols, we are holding onto nothing and giving away everything. We exchange mercy and love for emptiness. That is what sin does. It promises satisfaction, but it leaves us dry and hollow. Adrian Rogers, the famous former pastor of the church in Memphis once said, listen to this, «Sin will take you further than you want to go. It will keep you longer than you want to stay. And it will cost you more than you want to pay.»
Sin takes and leaves you empty. God’s mercy covers and makes you whole. Sin exhausts and wears you down. God’s mercy renews you and lifts you up. Sin costs you more than you can afford. God’s mercy is freely given. That’s what Jonah discovered in his desperate situation.
Looking Ahead — Recommitment with Thanksgiving
So he looked up and he cried out. He looked around and described his situation. He looked back and remembered what God had done. And number four, he looked ahead. Finally, Jonah looked ahead. He didn’t dwell on his sin. He didn’t rehearse the mistakes he had made. He didn’t wallow in regret. Instead, Jonah recommitted himself to the Lord, and he did it with a spirit of thanksgiving.
Listen to verse 9. He said, «But I will sacrifice to you with the voice of thanksgiving. I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.» Jonah started this prayer crying out for help. Remember where he is and what kind of a mess he’s gotten himself into. Now he finishes it with a shout of praise.
He promises to say out loud, «Lord, I thank you for who you are and what you have done.» He also promises to pay his vow. Jonah is finally accepting the assignment that God has given him. In his heart he is saying, «Yes, Lord, send me. I will go to Nineveh. I will do what you asked me to do in the first place.»
That is the kind of prayer you can pray when your life has fallen apart. You don’t have to fix everything all at once. You can simply say, «Lord, I blew it.» But if you bring me out of this, I will do the very thing you’ve told me to do. Then you take that step, whether you feel like it or not, and you do it with a thankful heart.
The Central Truth — Salvation Is of the Lord
And that brings us to the last line of Jonah’s prayer. Some have called this the central verse in the entire Bible because it expresses with great economy the language of the main point of the Bible. Jonah simply says in verse 9, «Salvation is of the Lord.»
Salvation is of the Lord. One author wrote, «Salvation belongs to God alone and to no one else. If someone is saved, it is wholly God’s doing. It is not a matter of God saving you partly and you saving yourself partly. No, God saves. We do not and cannot save ourselves. That is the gospel.»
So when you’re in trouble and you’re overwhelmed by life, whether it’s because of your actions or whether you are entirely innocent, I hope you will remember to pray. And maybe even write it down. Like Jonah did. There’s something to be said for writing out your prayers. You know, I remember when we were dealing with this and everybody was saying you need to keep track of life and have a journal. I wasn’t able to do that until I read about a pastor who did his journal in his computer. And that’s what I did. And it’s a wonderful thing to look back and see what you prayed.
And when you write out your prayers, you’re pretty specific. You care for each word. And you don’t have to do that all the time. You can pray anywhere you want. You don’t have to write them out. I’m just saying one of the ways to develop your prayer life is to write your prayers out and see what happens when you do that.
So when you’re in trouble, whether it’s because of your actions or because you’re totally innocent, I hope you remember to pray. Write it down. You can scan your prayers later. You can remember that salvation is of the Lord.
The Pattern in Psalm 107 — God’s Lovingkindness
So if you’re in trouble today, look up and cry out to God. Look around and be honest about your situation. Look back and remember God’s mercy. And look ahead and do the next right thing. There are many Psalms in the Bible that illustrate Jonah’s prayer life. And I’m not going to talk to you about all of them, but I just want to tell you about one Psalm. This is one of my favorite Psalms. Psalm 107. It helps us understand the ways of God in many ways, it gives a panoramic view of Israel’s history and a revealing look at our own hearts as well.
You know the Israelites were stubborn and stiff-necked people. I often thank God He didn’t call me to be Moses. Imagine leading millions of rebellious people through the wilderness. They had a pattern. They would get in trouble, they would cry out to God, be delivered, and then fall right back into trouble again. Before we judge them too harshly, «God, it’s me again.»
Notice the pattern in Psalm 107. It starts with God’s people wandering in the desert, hungry, thirsty, and too weak to go on. And then verse 6 says, «Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distress.» A few verses later, they’re back in trouble again. They are sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, bound in affliction. «Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distress.»
The next few verses describe them as fools who are afflicted because of their transgression and iniquities. And verse 19 says, «Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distress.» And in verse 28, after they are described as being at their wit’s end, it says, «Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses.»
Over and over again, the pattern: trouble, cry out to God, deliverance, fall back into the same mess that started the whole process. What is the lesson in all of this? Verse 43 tells us, «Whoever is wise will observe these things, and they will understand the lovingkindness of the Lord.»
That is the message of Psalm 107 and of Jonah 2, the lovingkindness of the Lord. What kind of God do we have? A God of mercy, a God of grace, a God of lovingkindness. He’s not waiting to jump all over you because of what you have done. He’s waiting to welcome you back in forgiveness and fellowship. He waits with outstretched arms. Whenever you cry out to Him, He responds. He heals what is broken, and He restores what is damaged.
God’s Invitation — Cry Out and Return
But He does not force us to come back. You must take that action yourself. When we cry out, He hears us. You say, «Well, Pastor Jeremiah, you don’t know what I’ve done,» and I don’t really need to know what you’ve done, because I know what He does, and He forgives. No matter what happens, He forgives.
So wherever you are tonight, if you’re kind of striding along at the edge of the pack, not really walking with the Lord like you should, cry out to God. He knows what’s happening in your life. Ask Him to forgive you and help you get back on track. He’ll do that, and you will be the one blessed by it.
Let’s pray together, shall we? Father in heaven, thank you for your love and kindness. Thank you for your willing forgiveness. For anyone here tonight who’s in the situation of Jonah or the Psalmist, I pray that you will help them to believe that God cares enough about them to have sent His Son to die on the cross for their sin, and He wants to forgive them and restore them through grace and mercy.
Help us to cry out to God when we need Him, not to be bashful and self-reliant, but to know that God is there for us, and He will help us. Father, I pray for those here tonight who may be in that situation, that you will meet them at the point of their need and strengthen them in their walk. This I say in Jesus' name, amen.