“Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea was growing more and more tempestuous. He said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you; for I know it is because of me that this great storm has come upon you.” Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring the ship back to land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more stormy against them. Then they cried out to the Lord, “Please, O Lord, we pray, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life. Do not make us guilty of innocent blood; for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.” So they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea; and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the Lord even more, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. But the Lord provided a large fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” Jonah 1:11-17

“Jump the shark”

The idiom “Jump the Shark” is a rather new addition to the vernacular in our society today. It means the moment when a form of entertainment reaches a decline in quality by including gimmicks to maintain interest. The origin comes to us from the show Happy Days, where the character Fonzie literally jumps over a shark while water skiing. It was from this show that the radio personality Jon Hein popularized the phrase “jump the shark” to describe the decline of the show.

Did you even feel like you wished you were just swallowed up by a fish so you could disappear from a situation? For example, you find yourself in a really uncomfortable situation, like a funeral where the family is arguing with one another, or a wedding where the bride and groom are fighting, and you just wish you could sink into a hole and disappear? In life we might be able to slink away from an uncomfortable situation, but with G-d, well, that is a different story.

Jonah was charged by G-d to preach to a people he did not like, about a message he did not want them to have, and so he thought he could just disappear – run away from G-d and all his problems would go away. What Jonah learned is what the Psalmist declared:

“Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.” (Psalm 139:7-8)

If we think we can hide something from G-d, or just hide from G-d, well, it would be easier to jump a shark than to run from the All Mighty. But instead of running from G-d, we should always run to G-d: run to G-d with our fears, our doubts, our questions, and our laments — as well with prayer, praise and thanksgiving. This is what G-d wants, after all.

Pastor Dave

“Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered. When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked. Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Matthew 21:18-22

“Barking up the wrong tree”

The meaning of this odd phrase is someone who is pursuing a misguided course of action. The origin of this odd phrase is likely referring to hunting. When dogs are included in the hunt, their great sense of smell is key to their ability to track and find an animal. The dog would track an animal until it would be “treed” – or forced to climb a tree. But, animals are quick, and sometimes they move on after a dog first trees it. So, this saying explains when a dog would literally bark at the bottom of the wrong tree after the prey in question moved to the next branch.

“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

A lot of people read this text and believe that G-d is not with them because they have not received what they wanted when they prayed to G-d. Many times their prayer is so that a loved one is cured, or does not die, or some other desperate prayer.

My friends, G-d wants a relationship with us – a relationship built upon faith, trust, worship and prayer. And G-d wants us to pray often – because a relationship with anyone includes conversation and constant communication. But, if we approach prayer with the intention and expectation that G-d will give to us anything we ask in prayer, well, we are barking up the wrong tree.

Spiritually and relationally speaking, “whatever you ask for in prayer” is to be considered as “whatever you need and ask of G-d you will receive if it is in your best interest as determined by G-d.” Remember the “rich young ruler” who asks Jesus “what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” and Jesus answered him ” “you know what to do — don’t commit adultery, don’t kill, don’t steal, etc.” And the young ruler said “all this have I done from my youth”. Jesus, loving him said, “one thing you lack – go sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor. Then come, follow me” Jesus knew even as G-d knows that what is best for us, may cause us to turn away sorrowfully.”

Pastor Dave