Jonah reflects on the favour of God to him, when he sought to God, and trusted in him in his distress. He warns others, and tells them to keep close to God. Those who forsake their own duty, forsake their own mercy; those who run away from the work of their place and day, run away from the comfort of it.

Through prayer, one asks for the capacity to change, to improve, and to grow in virtue. When the prophet Jonah is stuck in a large fish, he finally allows words to bubble to the surface after his wordless flight from God. Jonah’s prayer is unstudied. Some scholars believe it to be a later addition, written in the style of the psalms.

Jonah gives specific testimony of deliverance. His beautifully poetic description of his descent to the bottom of the sea goes beyond a quick “thank you for my blessings” prayer. Jonah turns to God in prayer even when it seems hopeless. Jonah prays to the Lord from the bottom of the sea when there is no natural possibility of rescue.