"Never Let Me Drown" Min. Elijah McDavid, III

0:05 God, I thank you for the miracle that I hold on my left and on my right. Thank you for their angelic presence in my life today. God, I may not know what they're going through. I may not even know their name. But right now, oh God, I'm yet believing that you're going to send a word that's going to speak to their situation. And in anticipation of that word, oh God, I press a little bit of joy back into my neighbor's hands. God, I squeeze some endurance into my neighbor's hands. God, I press into my neighbor's hand new hope this morning. And God, I'm praying that you would just bless my neighbor so much that a little overflow would come and splash on me. Holy Spirit, rain down in this place. And as you speak, oh God, we'll be careful to give your name all the glory, all the honor, and all the praise in Jesus' name. Come on, loose those hands, put yours together, and make a joyful noise to the Lord. for this is the day that the Lord has made and we come to rejoice to rejoice and to be glad in it listen do me a favor while you're yet celebrating help me give God thanks to our amazing pastor in this season of Selah let's pour some love on the Reverend Dr. Howard John Wesley We serve an amazing God.

1:21 And to our pastor, to Dr. Judy, to all the leadership of this house, I am honored and grateful for the opportunity to stand. To all of my friends who moved scheduled to be here and share with me in presence, I'm grateful for you. And for all of those who prayed with me this week, understanding the difficulty of standing on this day, I say thank you. If you are hungry for a word, I invite you to grab your Bible and turn with me to Jonah chapter 2. Jonah chapter 2 we are continuing our theme teach us to pray and there's a powerful prayer that comes in Jonah that I want to turn our attention to on this day Jonah chapter 2 I'm going straight to the word today I see that the clock is ticking many of you all have brunch reservations I've got a flight to catch we're going to go straight to this word I pray it will bless somebody it's a familiar story in Jonah but I pray that God may speak to us in new ways on this day Jonah chapter 2, we'll read the whole chapter.

2:17 You'll find words similar to these.

2:43 Your billows passed over me. Then I said, I am driven away from your sight. How shall I look again upon your holy temple? The waters closed in over me. The deep surrounded me. Weeds were wrapped around my head at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever. Yet you brought up my life from the pit. Oh, Lord, my God. As my life was ebbing away, I remembered the Lord and my prayer came to you into your holy temple. Those who worship vain idols forsake their true loyalty. But I, with the voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you what I avowed I will pay. Deliverance belongs to the Lord. Then the Lord spoke to the fish, and it spewed Jonah out upon the dry land.

3:42 Thus far, the word of God. As you take your seats this morning, I want you to pray with me on the subject, Never Let Me Drown. He never let me drown. Beloved, it might well be true that some of our best prayers come in the moments after our worst mistakes. Following chapters of failure and regret, our dialogue with our creator is rich and enhanced. That when the stupidity of our humanity forces us into a posture of humility, our conversations with God become more authentic, transparent, and transformative. There's nothing like making a good mistake to remind you that you haven't spent enough time on your knees lately. I know this word may not be for everybody. It's not for the stuck-up saints, but I believe I've got five or six folk in AlphaTree who can admit that you've made some mistakes.

4:42 You dropped the ball. You made some poor and short-sighted decisions. Some of us can admit that 19 days into the new year, we've already messed up, stumbled, abused, and neglected. But the good news is that even in those moments, we found God standing there with open arms and open ears. I called to the Lord out of the depths of my destruction, and God heard my cry. That's the testimony of this man named Jonah as we meet him in chapter 2 of his story. Some of you are familiar with this tale. in chapter 1, God speaks to Jonah and says, go to the city of Nineveh. I have an assignment for you there. And Jonah, like many of us, says, God, I'm not quite feeling that directive. So he goes in the opposite direction. And while he's sailing on a boat in the opposite direction, a storm begins to rage, and the storm frightens everyone on the boat. Eventually, Jonah admits to all the other sailors that the storm is his fault because he's running from God. So Jonah agrees to be thrown overboard. And just as Jonah is plunging to his death, the Bible says that the Lord provided a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was living in the belly of the fish for three days and for three nights. And it's in the aftermath of this mistake, this disobedience, this poor decision, it's in this moment that we find Jonah praying to God. And Jonah prays one of the most beautiful prayers in all of Scripture while he's sitting in the belly of the fish. Some of our best prayers come in the moments after our worst mistakes. And here's the good news. God still hears Jonah. I'm so glad that even when I refuse to listen to God, God still takes the time to listen to me. I can turn in the wrong direction, ignore the instructions God has given me,

6:48 and God will still hear my cry when I call for help. God specializes in loving us at our lowest. God values us so highly that God refuses to allow past decisions to define future destiny. God knows our substance, our potential, and our complete worth, so he stalks us down with grace and mercy even while we are walking away from his will. He pours compassion on us in the midst of our fears and our failures. God specializes in loving us at our lowest. Let me make this plain. You know, as a preacher in my late 20s, I'm in a season where everyone is asking me to perform their wedding ceremony. All of my friends, colleagues, cousins, everybody's getting married, so I'm doing about 15 weddings a year. And I don't mind. I love to do weddings because I believe that if God is blessing my neighbor, then surely God is in my neighborhood. Some of y'all praying with me. And Dr. Judy, whenever I'm preparing a couple for their special day, I always ask them a few questions. I ask them how they met. I ask them how the proposal went. And I always ask them about the time when they thought it was over. When did you almost break up and throw in the towel?

8:01 And that's when I hear the richest of stories because I find out what she tapped into when he disappointed her. I find out how he repaired things after the trust had been violated. I find out how they held on to each other when grief and stress were tearing them apart. I find out how they loved each other at their lowest. And so the other week I met this amazing couple who had been through so much, they embodied what it means to love at each other's lowest. And when I asked them how they made it, how they persevered through the adversity, they simply said, we always kept the lines of communication open. I don't know who this word is for, but I believe God is telling somebody that when things are rough, keep the lines of communication open. I know you messed up. I know you're hurting. I know you're embarrassed, but keep talking to me. I know you made a mistake, and yes, you're in a dismal and difficult place, but let's keep the conversation going. Don't let your prayer life end the day that regret and shame begins. Jonah, I know you messed up and I know you're in a stinky situation, but I love you at your lowest and I refuse to let you drown. I came to encourage somebody today and to let you know that God still wants to hear your voice. God still wants to answer your prayer. God is invested in every emotion and insecurity and don't let the enemy trick you into thinking that you've run out of the reach of God's love. You've got to pray like you know God loves you at your lowest. But then watch the movement in Jonah's prayer. Jonah says, I called to the Lord and he answered me. He heard my voice. You cast me into the sea. Your waves and your billows passed over me. He begins his prayer by attributing everything to God. In verses two and three, Jonah recognizes that God's hand is in full control of the situation. But in the following verses, there's a shift in tone. I am driven away from your sight. How shall I look upon your holy temple? I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever. Here Jonah is fixated not on God's

10:10 work, but on his own punishment, fear, and feelings of abandonment. You ever started praying, saying all the things that you really wanted to say, and then somewhere along the way, your mind slipped into a place of doubt and confusion? You know how we do sometimes. You start a prayer saying all the good things. Lord, I want to thank you. You've been so good to me. I say yes to your will, Lord. I'm ready to do whatever you ask of me. And then later in the prayer, Lord, what in the world have I gotten into? Woe is me. I don't know how to handle this. Lord, would you do me a favor and just smite my co-workers one time? the reality is our attitude can shift within the span of a single prayer. And in a sense, that's what happens with Jonah. In one moment, he's in awe of God's sovereign handiwork. And in the next moment, he's feeling despised and rejected and ashamed.

11:06 Prayer is supposed to be our retreat and our refuge away from the chaos around us. But if we're not careful, our minds can begin to drown in the negativity and the pessimism that colors are everyday living. That's why some of us need to make a commitment in 2020 to renew our mind. I believe God's on the brink of doing something amazing in my life, and I'm not going to let negative opinions or harmful gossip turn that away. I wish I had two or three people in the building who are ready to think positively. You're ready to believe God for better. You're ready to revive your hope for tomorrow. I'm taking my mind back. Notice the order of this prayer. I called to the Lord, he answered me, and then he cast me into the deep. I called to the Lord, he answered me, then he cast me into the deep. Wait a minute, Jonah, you're saying that God answered your prayer, and then God cast you down into the ocean?

12:07 It raises the occasion for me to suggest that perhaps your punishment and your deliverance are the same thing. , Sometimes what we view as punishment is actually the vehicle God is using to deliver us out of a deadly situation. I'm grateful that sometimes God's answer was my humiliation. When we are cast down, we think that God isn't hearing us when in fact God is pushing us closer to the very thing that has the capacity to save our life. Lord, when life has me at my lowest, teach me how to know that you've already answered me. The difficulty of prayer is that it forces us to see both sides of the same coin. Some of us know what it's like to spend three nights in the belly of the beast.

13:02 Yet in that time, God comes to reveal that this is punishment and it's protection. This is rejection and it's restoration. This is frustrating and it's fruitful. that depending on your vantage point, you can see God's method of salvation as a friend or a foe. Yes, when you're in the belly of the beast, it's dark and it's uncomfortable and it stinks, yet that fish's swallow literally saved your life.

13:32 Hear me, somebody, prayer is not just the moment when we speak to God. Prayer is the process where God is carefully and intentionally adjusting our mind so that we can see our circumstance through the eyes of God. When I fall on my knees, God is massaging all of the negativity and the skepticism and the jealousy out of my mind. Because I may start my prayer off saying all the right things, but I'm prone to wander. And every now and then my mind slips into these dark places. But I'm so glad that before I get to the amen, God is already working out all the negativity that the devil wants to use to crush me. I'm so glad to know a God that knows how to massage my mind. Caleb, that's why I pray with my eyes closed. It's not out of ritual or habit. It's because I'm already expecting to see the world differently when I open my eyes back up.

14:29 God, massage my mind. Loosen the fear and make room for faith. Bind up the worry and pour out your wisdom. Cast out the hatred and pave the way for hope. God, do a new thing in my mind. And as God begins to work on Jonah's mind, Jonah begins to find hope even though he's still in the belly. He says in verse 6, I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever. Yet, you brought up my life from the pit. Can't you hear the irony? Jonah is making a reference to going down to Sheol, to the underworld, and there he says, the bars, the gate of that place closed upon me forever. Yet, God brings him up out of the pit. Somebody just missed an easy shout. Because there are some things that you thought would last forever. There are situations you declare that were finished, but God has a way of saying not yet after we've already given up.

15:29 I'm so glad that I have a God that has a not yet for every one of my false forevers. Every time I say it's finished, God declares it's not over. Every time I say I quit, God says, here's another chance. Every time I say it's permanent, God says, Elijah, this thing is temporary. He's got a not yet for every one of my sports forevers. Thought this depression would last forever. Yet God brought me up out of the pit. I thought the scandal would never go away. Yet God brought me up out of the pit. Thought my finances would be dismal forever. Yet God brought me up out of the pit. Thought the scars of the trauma would last forever. But God has a way of lifting us higher on the pathway of healing. He never lets me drown. For every circumstance, scene, and scenario that I have spoken death and defeat over, God has a not yet.

16:23 And God's not yet will overrule any false forever that I've spoken over my life. And if you know that your days in the pit are coming to an end, you ought to take 30 seconds and praise God like you know. God's about to lift you back up into something better.

16:45 This drowning will not have the final say. You're about to rise back up in the power of the resurrection. Jonah acknowledges that God is the one who brings his life up from the pit. Jonah declares in verse 9 that deliverance belongs to the Lord. And sure enough, just as Jonah acknowledges this fact, the Bible says that the fish spewed him out onto the dry land. Because sometimes God is waiting on you to believe what he's already ordained. The fish spits Jonah out, and Jonah gets a new lease on life. And that's good news. In fact, I wanted to stop right there and tell somebody that God is getting ready to spit you into your new season. Reverend Mark, I wanted to close this sermon preaching that God is the God of a second chance.

17:43 I wanted to holler, hoop that thing and go catch my flight. But there's so much more to Jonah's story. And I can't responsibly preach Jonah's prayer of deliverance without talking about what happens to Jonah after the fish spits him out. What happens to Jonah? Well, first, hopefully Jonah went somewhere to go take a bath because if there's any seafood lovers like me in here, you know that fish can stink. And then God gives Jonah the same instructions in chapter 3 that God gave Jonah in chapter 1. Go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim my word. This time Jonah listens. He goes, he preaches, and the whole city, Even the king is converted. Everyone in Nineveh turns from their wicked ways all because of Jonah's preaching. And because of this repentance, God decides to change God's mind and not destroy the city. But for some odd reason, India, we find out that Jonah isn't happy about this fact.

18:47 Jonah is angry. Jonah's fed up. He even starts contemplating suicide. It's one of the great tragedies in all of Scripture. Jonah falls into this place of depression right after he's done exactly what God asked him to do. And worse, Jonah is upset that the people of Nineveh have been delivered, that their lives have been spared. What makes this so problematic is that Jonah just got his life spared. He just got saved from the wrath of God two chapters ago. So Jonah wrestles with something that has the potential to ruin all of our prayer lives if we're not careful. Jonah can't celebrate the answer to his prayer showing up in the life of somebody else. Jonah, you were just praying for deliverance. You just needed God to rescue you. And now that God is rescuing and delivering the people of Nineveh, you want to be upset?

19:45 I know some of you don't want to hear this, but Jonah is not just a survivor. Jonah is someone who suffers from a severe case of sanctified selfishness. The very blessing he prayed for now shows up in the lives of others and he is displeased. The great irony of our faith is that God can be so gracious to us and we can still fail to be gracious to others. The difficulty is God's grace can be so good to us that we fail to recognize that we all sit in the same category of undeserving. It's our failures and our flaws and our incompetencies that make us so relatable. And every now and then, it's right to say I'm favored, but more often it's accurate to say I'm forgiven.

20:36 You're not more deserving of God's grace than somebody else you don't like. What makes it grace is the simple fact that none of us are worthy to receive it, and yet God freely gives it anyway. And if I'm praying for it to show up in my life, then I ought to be able to celebrate God when it shows up in yours. Thank you. it's time for us to abolish the Christian judicial system. You don't get to decide who is and isn't worthy of God's love. We don't get to label this group as worthy and that group as an abomination. We don't get to write these rules that say you got to dress like this and make this amount just to have a little dignity in the house of God. God, don't let us drown in our tired selfishness. Hear me, church. If we're not careful, we can pray to God. God will answer us, but we won't be changed afterwards.

21:33 The tragedy is at the end of this story, Jonah still has a bad attitude towards the people of Nineveh. After all he's been through, after all he's been rescued from, his heart isn't changed. When I mature in my faith, I'm not praying for God to do a thing. I'm praying for God to change me. Yes, I need God to change the situation around me, but I also need God to change my attitude towards the situation. God, please get me out of this and improve my decision making. God, heal my heartbreak and change my appetite so that I don't choose another person who will break my heart again. God, I need you to show up and provide this month, but I'm also determined to be a better steward of my resources. If our lives don't become a reflection of God's answer, then we have wasted a moment of prayer. What a shame to be blessed, but you're still bitter.

22:27 A winner, but you're still worried. Forgiven, but you're still fearful. God, I want to be a reflection of the answer in my life. I want people to know that you rescued me. I want people to know that you delivered me. I want people to know that you redeemed and set me free. I want to walk into this world as evidence that you will never let any of your children drown. I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore, very deeply stained within, seeking to rise no more. But the master of the sea, I wish I was in a Baptist church, but the master of the sea heard my despairing cry, and from the waters, my God lifted me. Now safe am I. I wonder if there's anybody in the building who can testify that you're a lifted saint. I don't look like everything I've been through because God brought me up out of some stuff and changed my life complete, and now I can testify that a wonderful, a wonderful change has come over me. He never, Never let me drown.

23:40 Let's pray. God, I thank you and I bless your name this morning for the change that you're already working in our hearts. For my sisters and brothers who still feel like they are sitting in the darkness of the belly of the fish, God, I ask that you would touch right now and allow us to know that you're already answering our prayer. You've already heard our voice. You're already working and attending to our cry. And most of all, oh God, when we come out of this, we will be fully transformed.