Quote from Forum Archives on April 24, 2006, 1:48 pm

Posted by: info <info@...>

E-pistle

Dr. Curt Scarborough, President
FreeWay Foundation April 21, 2006

Jonah Prays for God's Help

(Jonah 2:1-10)

Dr. Curt Scarborough

I. Concentration: on the elements of Jonah's prayer

1. Jonah acknowledged that his predicament (being in the belly of the
great

fish) was caused by his own sin, which had brought God's judgment upon

him, vv. 1-3.

2. Jonah, even though he had been "cast out of God's sight," looked
toward

God's holy temple . . . turned toward the only possible source of help,

vv. 4,7.

3. Jonah recognized his hopeless and desperate situation of certain
death,

doom, and destruction without divine help, vv. 5-6.

4. Jonah renounced "worthless idols" and vowed to serve God
("sacrifice to

You") in obedience, realizing that he had only one hope: "Salvation is

of the Lord," vv. 8-9

II. Meditation: on the theological truths of this chapter

1. God always hears when His people cry out to Him, and He always
answers

their prayers . . . yes, no, or wait, v. 2.

2. There is life after death . . . Sheol (the grave or the place where
the soul

abides after death away from the presence of God) is mentioned by Jesus

as the tomb where He was buried for three days before His resurrection,

vv. 2, 6; Matthew 12:40.

3. God brings His people through times of trouble and danger; He keeps
and

preserves them so that they may accomplish His purposed destiny in

their lives, v. 10.

4. The Lord is a God of mercy, Who deserves our thanksgiving, praise,

obedience, and service, v. 9.

III. Revelation: on the spiritual implications seen here

1. God's people should pray; often "we do not have because we do not
ask,"

James 4:2.

2. Every individual lives eternally . . . either in heaven or in hell;
each person

makes that personal choice by either accepting or rejecting God's offer

of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ.

3. God may not remove the obstacles or troubles from our lives, but He
always

gives us grace and strength to sustain us through those difficulties.

4. God is worthy of our worship and sacrificial service.

IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .

1. Pray without ceasing, I Thessalonians 5:17.

2. Live daily in the light of eternity, Ecclesiastes 3:11.

3. Trust in the Lord with all my heart, Proverbs 3:5.

4. Worship the Lord and serve Him only, Matthew 4:10.

"Madame XXX"

Dr. Curt Scarborough

Many were the nights I drifted off to sleep to the sound of
Mother's sewing

machine. How relaxing it was, listening to the steady rhythm of the dancing
treadle

and the throbbin' bobbin. No Singer ever took as much abuse except, maybe,
when

Hope started ribbing Crosby. In those pre-WWII days, every woman in town
knew

how to sew a seam, or so it would seem. If you make a mistake, just tug on
the correct

thread, and it'll all come loose: "Whatever you sew, that shall you also
rip!"

Mother was a self-proclaimed superior seamstress. She boasted
that she saw eye

to eye with a needle, and that she always knew where the bodice was buried.
She made

all our clothes, usually out of Pillsbury Mills cotton flour sacks. Some of
them came with

cutesy designs printed on the material; others were just plain white cloth
with an indelible

trademark engraved on them which read: "Pillsbury XXX." The more X's on
the label,

the finer the flour had been ground.

Mother ripped and sewed dozens of fancy frocks and pretty
pinafores for Sissy out

of the patterned flour sacks, and she constructed scores of unmentionable
undergarments

for her out of the not-so-presentable trademarked fabric. One recess, I
remember, a stiff

breeze caught my first grade sister's dress just right, and for the rest of
the school year

Sissy was known as "Madame XXX!"

King Solomon wrote: "There is . . . a time to tear, and a time
to sew."

(Ecclesiastes 3:7) The tearing of one's garments (or "rending," as the King
James Version

calls it) was a common practice in times of grief or contrition. It
symbolized a broken and

torn spirit. Joel called for the nation of Israel to experience hearts torn
with grief and

confession of sins, (2:13). David wrote about his personal experience with
such repentance

in Psalm 34:13 and 51:17.

Perhaps the most significant "tearing" in the New Testament
happened at Christ's

crucifixion. "Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His
spirit. Then,

behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom."
(Matthew 27:50-51.

The art of sewing also is seen throughout the Scriptures. Adam
and Eve "sewed

fig leaves together and made themselves coverings" in the Garden of Eden.
(Genesis 3:7)

Samuel's mother sewed a little robe for her child to wear as he ministered
to Eli.

(I Samuel 2:19) Jesus taught, "No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an
old garment;

or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse."
(Mark 2:21)

PRAYER FOR THE DAY: Lord, tear out and remove all the sins from my
repentant

and contrite heart; sew them up into a
bag, and cast them

into the depths of the sea. (Job
14:17; Micah 7:19)

Pillsbury College & Seminary

Pillsbury College & Seminary is offering full tuition scholarships to the

first 100 Bi-Vocational pastors who register in 2006.

Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Simply fill out the

Registration Form that you can find at www.pillsburycs.org
<www.pillsburycs.org/> and mail it

along with a $50 registration fee and you will receive your first textbooks,

instructions, and an examination within approximately one week. You will

also be contacted by your personal mentor . . . an ordained minister who

has been assigned by Pillsbury College & Seminary to assist you in

earning your Bachelor of Biblical Studies Degree.

If your have questions, please contact drcurt@pillsburycs.org or telephone

us at (314) 739-1121.

"Wise men talk because they have something to say;

fools, because they have to say something."

- Plato

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