Heart Tracks - Songs From The Belly Of The Fish

"Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish. He said, 'I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble and and He answered me. I called to You from the world of the dead, and Lord, You heard me.....When I lost all hope I turned my thoughts once more the Lord. And my earnest prayer went out to You in Your holy Temple.....I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.' " Jonah 2:1-2, 7,9

Have you ever noticed that the most beautiful writings, paintings, and works of all kinds, seem to come out of places and lives that have experienced deep heartache and pain? Scripture says that "He gives songs in the night." The kind of songs He gave to Joseph in his prison, David at his cave, Elijah at his brook Cherith, Jeremiah in his suffering, Paul in his cell, and John on his prison island. And Jonah, from the belly of a fish.

One way or another, the Father seems committed to lead His beloved children to such places as these. Sometimes, it's His last option, because we, like Jonah, have been running from Him and His will for us. Other times, most times, it is in order for Him to fulfill His purpose for and in us. Not only to work out His will, but to do so for His glory. A glory to sing songs about. Songs may come in the sunlight, but they never seem to have any staying power. We may sing them, but like the grass, they wither, and no one really remembers them. The songs that He gives us seem best composed in the darkness....or in the belly of a fish. These songs stand the test of time. They are not only sung by us, but by others that come after us, who have heard our songs of the wonder, glory and faithfulness of Him who ls the King Eternal. They're not lighthearted little things, but songs whose notes were composed in the midst of heartache, loss, need.....and trust. Trust in Him who will not disappoint us. To get the sweetest note of a violin, it's string must be stretched to the point of breaking, and then when that is done, it's struck with the bow. Yet the result is a masterpiece of music, that stays in the mind and even the heart. So it is with all those who have been given and who sing their songs in the night. Their songs written down while in the belly of a fish. And they compose a masterpiece. They can become the masterpiece.

His Word says that Jonah was running for Spain, which was about as close to the end of the world as one could get in those days. If the Father had allowed it, what would have been the result? Not only the countless souls lost in the city of Nineveh, but lost as well would be the masterpiece passed on to us written from his heart....in the belly of a fish. A song that still stirs our hearts nearly three thousand years later. Just as David's songs do, and Paul's, and John's, and....believe it or not, yours and mine....if we dare to seek Him in the dark, in the prison, in our own belly of the fish. Songs that will sing to a dying world in desperate need of such music. Songs that lift up His name, and all the wonder that is connected to it. Songs that lay hold of hearts, minds, and lives. Songs that last forever. Songs that only you and I can write...and sing. Will we?

Maybe this day you're living in your own "night." Your own cell, cave....belly of a fish. Satan whispers that you are trapped in the world of the dead, with no way out. Dare to believe otherwise, to cry out. The Father, in His throne room hears. He answers. He saves. And He gives songs. Let Him give one to you. A song worth singing. A song for the ages. A Masterpiece!

Blessings,
Pastor O