Belly Experiences

When Rock Bottom Becomes Sacred Ground

“From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. 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.’” – Jonah 2:1-2 (NIV)

There are moments in life when we feel like we’ve been swallowed whole—by the weight of our choices, by overwhelming circumstances, or by the sheer mystery of God’s will. We call out, but there’s no echo. We move but get nowhere. We pray… and wait.

Welcome to what I call "belly experiences."

"Jonah had one. His was literal. After running from God's call, he found himself in the belly of a great fish—cold, dark, uncertain, and out of control. But it was there, not in comfort or clarity, that Jonah rediscovered connection with God.

And maybe that’s the point. The belly isn't the end - it's the beginning!

Too often we treat our lowest moments as spiritual failures or proof that God has abandoned us. But what if the belly isn't a punishment... but a pause? What if it’s God's strategy for stillness, reflection, and realignment?

Inside that fish, Jonah prayed. He didn’t plot. He didn’t panic. He prayed.

Some of the most transformational moments in our lives don’t happen on mountaintops or during spiritual highs—they happen in the belly. In the unknown. In the waiting. In the space where all we can do is cry out and trust that God still hears. How do or should we respond when God blocks the exit?

Jonah's story shows us that even when we run from God, He doesn't give up on us. Instead, He may send a fish to carry us—not to punish us—but to preserve us. In that confined space, away from all the distractions, God begins to do His deepest work.

The belly teaches us to stop striving and start surrendering. A prayer from the belly"

Father, Here I am—in the deep. Swallowed by circumstance, surrounded by silence, and sitting in the dark with no clear way out. I confess, Lord… I ran. From Your voice. From Your calling. From the hard thing You asked me to face. But even here, in this place of confinement, Your presence finds me. Your mercy surrounds me. And I realize—I am not alone. This belly is uncomfortable. It smells of regret. But it’s also sacred… because here I’ve learned to pray again. Not with rehearsed words, but with raw honesty. If this is what it takes to hear You clearly, then let me listen. If this is where I must stay to be transformed, then do Your work in me. I don’t ask for escape—I ask for encounter. I don’t plead for comfort—I plead for closeness.

Like Jonah, I lift my voice from the depths. Forgive me, redirect me, and use me. When You are ready to speak to the storm, I will follow. When You open the way forward, I will walk it. Not because I’m perfect, but because I’m Yours. In the belly, I found my heart again. And now I give it back to You.

Amen."