Last week was Shark Week. While I’m not into Sharks, I have members of my family who love Shark Week and watch it religiously.  So, last week I saw a lot more sharks than I desire to see in my life time….but they got me thinking about Jonah. As I kid, I always thought Jonah was swallowed by a whale but who knows, maybe it was some type of whale shark?

You probably know the story. Jonah ran from God because God called him as a missionary to Nineveh! He boarded a ship for Tarshish and while on the shop God sent a great storm. The sailors on the ship throw Jonah overboard and God has a hungry shark all ready. Jonah finds himself in the belly of a whale shark or some other type of great fish. Talk about solitary confinement!  From the belly of the fish – Jonah begins to cry out to God. (Jonah 2)

What strikes me this morning, is the transformation in Jonah. He starts out crying out to God but along the way he begins to praise God. “I, with a song of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you.” A sacrifice of praise is when we choose to praise God even when life is not going well. When we choose to praise God even though our life circumstances are not what we would choose – there is great power that is released from the Holy Spirit. I can’t describe it – I just know it’s true.

As we head into a new week – Shark Week is over (thankfully!) but let it be a reminder to you to offer up a sacrifice of praise! Dare to praise God even when life is not going well. You will be astounded at how God honors your praise.

I’d love to hear from you and have a few more prizes to give away – so leave a comment. Let me know what hits you from Jonah 2. I’ll choose one comment and give away a copy of The 30 Day Praise Challenge and an I-tunes gift card!