Jonah 2:2-6
“In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and You listened to my cry. You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all Your waves and breakers swept over me. I said, ‘I have been banished from Your sight; yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.’ The engulfing waters were at my throat, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But You, LORD my God, brought my life up from the pit.”
Jonah was a prophet of God, but he is most remembered for the fact that he was swallowed by a fish. It was while he was in the belly of the fish, or whale, that Jonah remembered God and called to Him for help. God answered Jonah’s prayer, and the fish spat out the prophet.
The prayer Jonah speaks from inside the fish, although not a traditional prayer of protection, is nonetheless a plea for deliverance. Much of the language can be retained when turning these verses into a more traditional sounding prayer of protection. “Lord, protect me in these dark times. I have been banished from Your sight and hurled into the depths, into the very heart of the seas. The currents swirl around me and all the waves and breakers sweep over me. I look again to You, O Lord. Protect me and bring my life up from the pit. Amen.”
