Archive | Morning Coffee with Renae

Jonah 2:7 God’s Connection Better than Verizon’s

two calls

Jonah 2:7 “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.” Remember the saying, “Hindsight is better than foresight?” So true. Jonah was writing this from hindsight. He had already been delivered from that fish’s intestines. He had visited the dark side, and lived […]

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Jonah 2:5-6 When You Are in Life’s Pits

Punica

Jonah 2:5 – 6 “The engulfing waters threatened me, 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 brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God. When I was a little girl, my […]

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Jonah 2:4 Hope When it Seems Hopeless

Evening skies

Jonah 2:4 “I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’” Have you ever felt hopeless? Jonah had every reason to feel that way. Seriously. He was praying this prayer from inside a fish’s intestines. Ew. Yet, he had hope. He said, I will look again […]

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Jonah 2:3: Love and Punishment

Splashing Water 15

Jonah 2:3 “You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. Have you ever been punished for something, and you knew you deserved the punishment? Yeah, me too. And it’s not fun. Yet, when I think back […]

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Jonah 2:2: Can You Hear Me Now?

talking head

Jonah 2:2 He said: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry.” I’ve had some pretty distressful experiences in my life. But honestly, I think Jonah has me beat. I have never been inside the […]

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Jonah 2:1: What to Do Inside the Belly

praying hands

Jonah 2:1 “From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God.” Have you ever found yourself inside the belly of a fish? Well, I don’t mean literally. That would be highly unusual. But have you found yourself in a bad situation of your own making, and you didn’t have any idea how you […]

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Jonah 1:17: Fables and Fairy Tales?

KILLER WHALE

Jonah 1:17 “But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.” This is such a great story, isn’t it? It makes a wonderful bedtime story or children’s church lesson. But many people believe Jonah’s story is just that: a great story. The Bible […]

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Jonah 1:14 – 16: When We Mess Up

Just storm

Jonah 1:14 – 16 “Then they cried to the Lord, ‘O Lord, please do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O Lord, have done as you pleased.’ Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew […]

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Jonah 1:13: Doing My Job

heartshaped hands

Jonah 1:13 Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. This part of the story makes me feel downright ashamed. Jonah, who was a servant of the One true, compassionate, God, showed no compassion for the thousands of people in […]

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Jonah 1:11 – 12: ‘Fessing Up

Blue

Jonah 1:11 – 12 The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?” “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great […]

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