From inside the belly of a great fish, “Jonah prayed to the Lord” (Jonah 2:1). Wouldn’t you? As he “cried out to the Lord” (2:2), Jonah realized, “I have been cast out of Your sight” (2:4). Why? What could have happened to lead Jonah out of God’s sight? Back up into the first chapter.
When God commanded Jonah to “go to Nineveh” (1:2), “Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord” (1:3). He got on a ship “to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord” (1:3). Jonah was rebelling against the Lord’s command, which would (and could) only take him to one place—away from the presence of the Lord! Inside the fish, Jonah realized that he was exactly where he had been trying go—out of God’s sight and presence.
Maybe we do not always realize it, but when we choose to not obey a command of God, we are running from His presence at that moment! While a fish is not going to swallow us, may we come to our senses, smell the stench of sin, cry out to our God and return to Him! He will not leave us! Let us determine not to leave Him!