The Cry of Affliction

Jonah 2:1-2 (ESV) Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying, "I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of hell I cried, and you heard my voice."

Jonah’s affliction, his hell, was brought on by his refusal to obey God’s call for his life. His cry of affliction, however, is the same cry made by men, women and children all over the world throughout the history of the world. It is the cry of a person at the end of his rope with no where left to go. It is the cry of a person at the end of himself. It is the desperate cry of a person with no where left to turn but to his Maker, the Lord God Almighty. It is the cry of humble submission that says, “God help me! I can’t do this anymore.“ or “God! I don’t know what to do. Please show me the way!“ This is the cry of affliction made by Jonah from the belly of the whale.

This place of humble submission is exactly where God wants His children to be. He wants us fully dependent on Him. He will do what is necessary to get us to that point. Sometimes the trials of life are God’s plan to get us at the point of total submission and dependence. Sometimes the trials come about as a result of our sin or stupidity, like Jonah. Sometimes it just rains and we get wet. From the standpoint of “Why is this happening to me?“, it really doesn’t matter what caused the trial. We ask questions like “Did my sin cause this trial?“ or “Did God bring this upon me?“ or “Did God allow this bad thing to happen to me?“. The answer to these questions as it relates to the trials of life is irrelevant. The purpose of the trial, regardless of the cause, is always to brings us to the point of total submission and dependence on our Heavenly Father.

This cry of affliction we make in our trials will sound different for each of us in each situation. The cry may sound different but the heart of the cry varies little. When we come to the end of ourselves and cry out to God we should do so in confession, submission, humility and praise. The trial may not end or go away but it matters less to us now because there is less of us trying to control our circumstances or figure a way out of the trial. We have placed ourselves in His hands and are trusting in His goodness. And that is a very good and safe place to be!

The cry of affliction that Jonah made is the cry all of us need to make. And when we do, God is pleased. Therefore, being brought to our knees through trial and tribulation should be considered a good thing. It may not feel good in the middle of trial but the result is glorious. The result is a closer and deeper relationship with God. Paul told us in Philippians that to know Him is to know the fellowship of His sufferings.

So going through trials and tribulations empties us of self and draws us closer to God which please and glorifies Him. This sounds like a “win, win” situation. Cry out to God from your trial and win! Amen!