Out of the Belly

By Jannie V. Cudjo-Moore

Under the darkening skies full of lightning and thunder, the roaring seas threaten to tear the wooden ship apart. Distraught and fearful, you hear the conversations of men debating the troubling decision that lies before them. Murky clouds give way to hail, rain and turbulent winds as waves of water bear down upon the men and ship alike. Earsplitting sounds of bending wood at the ship's hull begin to show signs of breaking. Holding their victim tightly, two of the men walk him toward the plank's edge. "Do it, do it now!" yells the captain. He gives no resistance as they push him overboard. An eerie silence engulfs them all. Full of regret and remorse as every eye anxiously searches the rough waters for him. Calming skies now adorn the heavens as ringlets of light peek out from behind white puffy clouds. A symphony of cascading colors of yellowish-orange and bluish-gray show the beauty of God's handiwork.

Fighting to keep his head above water, thoughts of what brought him to this watery grave come to mind. In a moment of clarity, with a cracked smile, he thinks of family, home, warm bread and his dry, cozy bed. Through hazy, water-filled eyes, Jonah sees a huge shape moving toward him in the water. Perhaps, he thinks, this is where it ends for me?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tellwell Talent
• Release date: Feb 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9780228862475

Jannie V. Cudjo-Moore

Jannie V. Cudjo-Moore has spent her professional career working with troubled youth, providing tools of empowerment through education, realistic coping skills, and mentoring. She resides in Shreveport, Louisiana."Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6 NKJVI can hear the Lord speaking to me, "be strong, have courage, and don't fear them. I am your God, I am with you, and I will not leave or forsake you. Wait for me Jannie. Stay strong, take heart, and be of good cheer for I have overcome the world."Remember, we are each other's keeper, and the only time we should be looking down on someone is when we are helping them up.

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Copyright © 2022 by Jannie V. Cudjo-Moore

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Tellwell Talent

www.tellwell.ca

ISBN

978-0-2288-6246-8 (Hardcover)

978-0-2288-6245-1 (Paperback)

978-0-2288-6247-5 (eBook)

Contents

Jonah

Grandma

History

You can run, but you can’t hide: running away from duty

Swallowed up

Out of the belly

Second time around

Too much lip is hard on the hips

God confronts his prophet

A few other encouraging thoughts to share

Epilogue - The Armor Project

Love never fails…….

Jonah Complex

Was he in hell’s belly because he wanted to Be?

Did he not put himself there?

Reflecting and absorbing the on-slaughtering

Question that burns upon my flesh

And through these old eyes I saw

He in me.

Am I in hell’s belly because I want to Be?

Did I not put myself here?

I lay awake with my face like flint, full

Of anguish, I am worn and torn

I am in the dark.

Am I in hell’s belly because I want to Be?

Did I not put myself here?

I have not practiced what I preached

I have allowed the enemy to keep doubt, fear,

And shame resting on my

Shoulders, it has kept me

Restless, hungry and angry

I have compromised my life

And my health

And for what? Does not

Pride go forth before destruction?

Am I in hell’s belly because I want to Be?

Did I not put myself here?

I couldn’t see Abba,

I couldn’t hear

Abba,

No way out, alone in the deep, in

The depth alone with only

My thoughts, to think

What has brought me here.

Am I in hell’s belly because I want to Be?

Did I not put myself here?

"Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly, And said,

I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and He heard me; OUT OF THE BELLY of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God. When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord. And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. (Jonah 2:1-10 King James Version)

Under darkening skies full of lighting and thunder, the roaring seas threatened to tear the wooden ship apart. Distraught and fearful, men debated the troubling decision that was before them. Two men were charged with the duty to heave ho the passenger on board. Each man was conflicted in his mind about what he was going to do. The more the men contemplated, the more dangerous the storm became. The vessel rocked violently from side to side as each man prayed loudly to their god for mercy. Full dark clouds gave way to hailing rain and turbulent winds with monstrous waves of water that beat upon the men and ship alike. There were sounds of bending wood in the hull of the ship as it began to show signs of breaking. The crew fought to hold on to the boat as crashing waves of water came onto the deck, making the wooden floor slippery as it threw them all off balance. Walking toward the plank’s edge with their faces turned away from the hard wind and rain, they held their victim tightly. They heard the captain’s voice as he yelled, Do it! The passenger gave no resistance as they pushed him overboard.

Unable to see clearly in the storm, the men cast their eyes downward as they looked into the unforgiving sea. What have we done?! cried one crewman as everyone rushed to the side of the boat to see what had happened to the man they had just thrown into the sea. Where was he? The crewmen stood quietly with remorse and regret, and every eye anxiously searched the waters for the man. All of a sudden, the crew noticed how the winds were beginning to calm. Then the pouring rain and hail came to a screeching halt as the sky became full of white, puffy clouds. The raging sea at last stilled her roar. The men were astonished by all they had witnessed from the Hebrew’s God, and out of fear turned their attention to sailing away as swiftly as they could. Every man with his voice offered sacrifices and made vows to the God of the Hebrew, asking that he would not punish them for the deed they had done. Standing alone and unable to speak to the matter, the captain looked down into the now-calm waters and thought about what he and the crew had witnessed. Who is this God the Hebrew served? What manner of man was he that his God has power over the sky and the sea?

Coming up for air out of the water and disoriented as to where he was, Jonah looked around for the ship only to catch a glimpse of the boat sailing away and out of his sight. The once-boisterous storm was gone, and a gentle wave pushed him back and forth. His wet, brown, woolly shawl made his movement slower as the ocean’s salted liquid made him feel two times heavier. Fighting to keep his head above water, he grew tired as he thought of what had brought him to his watery grave. Through hazy eyes, he could see something moving in the distance. Though afraid of what was to come next, he was prepared to face whatever fate God brought up from the deep. Now somewhat regretful in his spirit, he knew all too well why this was happening to him. In a moment of clarity, almost cracking a smile, he thought of