Grieving a Failed RelationshipНамуна

Jonah 2:2 says, “He said: “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.”

In the grief of a failed relationship, we can also be grieving an old version of ourselves. You might miss who you were before the relationship. Maybe you lost yourself, compromised your values, and made decisions that you have later come to regret. In the scripture we just read, Jonah was crying out from inside the belly of a big fish. It is safe to say he did not make the best decisions that led to this moment. He ran from God and purposely went in the opposite direction the Lord asked him to go. He let his anger and hang-ups dictate his next steps, but through his disobedience, he learned where to go because he learned where not to.

At this point in the story, one might expect God to ignore Jonah or give up on him, but in Jonah’s distress, depression, and anger, he turned to God, and the Lord answered him. Jonah was then spat up on a beach and went where God had commanded him. Sometimes when we are in such a dark place, and things are taken from us, the only way to turn is to God. What we see as loss is a way for us to keep growing more dependent on God. What feels so difficult at one moment in time could actually be what saves us in the end.

Prayer: God, we are sorry for the times when we did not follow your commands and allowed ourselves to be poorly influenced. We pray to find people who encourage our relationship with you and to be that way in return. We thank you for forgiving sin and casting out shame. Help us every day to be more like you, Amen.