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Speaker 1: Life Audio.

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Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to your Nightly Scripture, a calming

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Speaker 2: Scripture Center devotional podcast designed to help you end each

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Speaker 2: day with God's word in your mind and on your heart.

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Speaker 2: Right after this short word from our sponsors, we will

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Speaker 2: reflect on tonight's scripture Jonah chapter two. Our evening reflection

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Speaker 2: is written by Shay Smith and read by Kyle Norman.

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Speaker 2: In my distress, I called to the Lord, and he

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Speaker 2: answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead,

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Speaker 2: I called for help, and you listened to my cry,

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Speaker 2: heard me into the depth, into the very heart of

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Speaker 2: the seas, and the currents swirled about me. All your

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Speaker 2: waves and breakers swept over me. I said, I have

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Speaker 2: been banished from your sight, yet I will look again

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Speaker 2: toward your holy Temple. The engulfing waters threatened me. That

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Speaker 2: deep surrounded me, seaweed was wrapped around my head. To

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Speaker 2: the roots of the mountains. I sank down. The earth

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Speaker 2: beneath barred me in forever. But you, Lord, my God,

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Speaker 2: brought my life up from the pit. When my life

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Speaker 2: was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer

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Speaker 2: rose to you. To your holy temple. Those who cling

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Speaker 2: to worthless idols turn away from God's love for them.

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Speaker 2: But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to

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Speaker 2: you what I have vowed. I will make good. I

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Speaker 2: will say, salvation comes from the Lord. And the Lord

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Speaker 2: commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah on to dry land.

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Speaker 2: Jonah found himself in the pit of a fish. Can

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Speaker 2: we pause for a minute to imagine that reality? Was

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Speaker 2: it a shark, whale or something entirely different? When I

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Speaker 2: heard the story as a child in church, I imagined

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Speaker 2: to Jonah sitting inside a whale, with plenty of space

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Speaker 2: to think and pray. Now that I imagine it a little more,

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Speaker 2: and wondering if things were really really tight, definitely wet

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Speaker 2: to Jonah breathe? Was he gasping for air as he

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Speaker 2: cried out to his Lord, the only one who could

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Speaker 2: save him. What other misfortunate sea creature surrounded Jonah as

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Speaker 2: he fought for his last breath? Was he completely disoriented?

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Speaker 2: As the fish dived deep into the depth of the

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Speaker 2: sea and swam fervidly back to the dry land roof,

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Speaker 2: Jonah cried in my distress, I called to the Lord,

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Speaker 2: and he answered me from deep in the realm of

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Speaker 2: the dead. I called for help, and you listened to

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Speaker 2: my cry. For Jonah, his literal deep was in the

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Speaker 2: belly of a fish. His prayer was both honest and raw,

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Speaker 2: clinging to the belief that God hears when we call

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Speaker 2: from our own deep. So tonight I ask you, what

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Speaker 2: is your deep? Are you in a place where things

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Speaker 2: seem tight, uncomfortable, where you are fighting to keep afloat?

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Speaker 2: Are you in a place where you feel God's abundance

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Speaker 2: and provision? Where is the deep that you cry out from?

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Speaker 2: In our reading tonight, Jonah acknowledges you who hurled me

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Speaker 2: into the depths, into the very heart of the seas,

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Speaker 2: and the currents swirled about me, all your waves and

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Speaker 2: breakers swept over me. God was there, ever present, when

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Speaker 2: he allowed Jonah to experience what he went through. If

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Speaker 2: we could see what God sees, we would never question

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Speaker 2: what he allows when we apply this to Jonah. God

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Speaker 2: had a specific purpose and will for Jonah to accomplish.

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Speaker 2: The belly was a result of his disobedience, but not

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Speaker 2: all of our deep places are from disobedience. Sometimes God

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Speaker 2: allows us to walk through hell for a purpose. Jonah

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Speaker 2: had to walk through this kind of deep to bring

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Speaker 2: a message he would never had otherwise. So can I

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Speaker 2: encourage you. Your deep is purposeful, Your deep is meaningful.

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Speaker 2: Your deep has utter significance. Cry out to him because

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Speaker 2: in the deep, he is with you the end of

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Speaker 2: our Jonah cries, When my life was heading away, I

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Speaker 2: remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you to

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Speaker 2: your holy temple. I think the most powerful phrase Jonah

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Speaker 2: said was I remembered you. If I were to list

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Speaker 2: how many scripture verses tell us to remember the Lord,

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Speaker 2: we'd be here all night a hearer few. Remember how

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Speaker 2: the lords your God has led you Deuteronomy eight, verse two.

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Speaker 2: Be careful that you did not forget the Lord. Deuteronomy six,

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Speaker 2: verse twelve. I will remember the deeds of the Lord.

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Speaker 2: Psalms seventy seven, verses eleven to twelve. Remember Jesus Christ

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Speaker 2: raised from the dead. Two Timothy two, verse eight. Remember

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Speaker 2: the wonders that he has done First Chronicles sixteen, verse twelve. Tonight,

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Speaker 2: let us remember all that God has done in our lives.

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Speaker 2: Let us remember that He's with us in our deep.

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Speaker 2: Let us be encouraged. His plan is much greater than

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Speaker 2: we can see in our present circumstances. What a joy

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Speaker 2: to be seen and used for His glory. God as deep, Christ,

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Speaker 2: out to deep, we know that you are with us tonight,

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Speaker 2: be near and renew our strength and hope. I pray

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Speaker 2: for the dear reader who is struggling in their own

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Speaker 2: deep Breathe fresh life and peace. Call to their memory

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Speaker 2: your faithfulness and love in each detail of their lives.

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Speaker 2: We surrender to your greater plan, Jesus, use us lead

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Speaker 2: us for in our testimony we will give you all

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Speaker 2: the glory in Jesus's name. Amen.

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Speaker 1: Thank you for listening to your Nightly Scripture. Tonight's scripture

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Speaker 1: was read from the New International Version by Biblica. All

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Speaker 1: rights reserved. If tonight's episode blessed you, be sure to

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Speaker 1: scripture is ready when you are. Your Nightly Scripture is

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Speaker 1: a production of Life Audio and Salem Media. Thank you

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Speaker 1: and we'll see you tomorrow. Night