The Fainting Soul
Today’s Verse:
When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. ~Jonah 2:7
Fainting is a physical condition when a person becomes very light headed and passes out. Sometimes, a person faints because of extreme hunger and low blood sugar. Sometimes it is because of low blood pressure. Other times, it is because of being overwhelmed by a situation that he is in. Jonah, the runaway prophet, speaks of an unforgettable time when his soul fainted within him. Let us see, this morning, the malady of a fainting soul.
We see the diagnosis.
A fainting soul is when spiritually we are weak, feeble, overwhelmed, and incapable of helping ourselves. It is the declining of the inward man. It is the depleted soul that knows it is dried up. It is a person who has been overtaken by fear and circumstances. We are enclosed with no way out. There is nowhere to go. There is no immediate help from someone we know. It is a spiritual life in need of revival.
We see the darkness.
Jonah was in the belly of a whale. He described it as a prison. He referred to it as “the belly of hell.” He was in complete darkness and literally at rock bottom. He was literally over his head in water and seaweed. Every time the whale ingested water, it entered into the stomach where Jonah was and felt like floods of water tossing him about. Jonah was at a dark place in his life. A fainting soul is at a dark place in life. It is when we realize that we are in a bad situation and we need help.
We see the discovery.
It is then that Jonah cried out to the Lord. He realized that he was in sin and far from God. He realized that he believed his lying vanities and forsook the mercies of God. It took this horrible experience to awaken him to the fact that he needed to humble himself and call on the Lord for help. Jonah prayed more urgently and with more intensity than at any other time in his life. In the belly of a whale, he experienced revival. He was forgiven. His fainting soul was revived. He made things right with the Lord and was restored in fellowship with Him. He pledged to keep his vows to the Lord and to sacrifice with the voice of thanksgiving.
We see the deliverance.
“And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.” Jonah had enough of the whale, and the whale had enough of Jonah! It vomited him upon dry land. After three days of darkness, seaweed, water, putrid smells, and being at the end of himself, Jonah was back on dry land. That was one experience that he knew he did not want to go through again. Running from God is the worst experience that any of us can go through. Then, standing on the shoreline, he turned his eyes towards Nineveh where God had told him to go and bring a message. There was a task he needed to complete. God in His mercy delivered Jonah so that he would have a second chance.
A fainting soul is indicative of neglect. Let the Lord, Who is our Shepherd, make you lie down in green pastures and lead you beside the still waters. It is there that He restores the soul that is feeble, fainting, and fearful.
Have a revived God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Song of Solomon 1-8