July 19, 2026

<p>God sometimes takes us to the bottom so we’ll discover He’s been holding us all along. </p><p><br></p><p>11 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?”12 “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 storm has come upon you.” 13 Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 14 Then they cried out to the Lord, “Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.” 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16 At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him. 17 Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. 1 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying, 2 “I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. 3 For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me...”       Jonah 1:11-2:1-3</p><p><br></p><p>Rock Bottom Is Actually Holy Ground</p><p><br></p><p>Then Jonah prayed... from the belly of the fish.        Jonah 2:1</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>Your Perspective Shifts When Your Idols Die</p><p><br></p><p>Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love.      Jonah 2:8</p><p><br></p><p>True repentance begins when my counterfeit IDOLS die:</p><p> • The Idol of Comfort</p><p>• The Idol of Control</p><p>• The Idol of Reputation</p><p><br></p><p>Never Forget Salvation Is Always God’s Job</p><p><br></p><p>But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!         Jonah 2:9</p><p><br></p><p>Salvation is completely a work of God’s SOVEREIGN grace.</p><p><br></p><p>And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.    Jonah 2:10</p><p><br></p><p>For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Matthew 12:40</p><p> </p><p><u><strong>Weekly Challenge</strong></u></p><p>• Intentionally Shift Your Perspective Each Day:  Salvation belongs to the Lord</p><p>• Encourage Someone in the Deep Look around you.</p>