A pastor may sometimes experience being at the bottom of life. The officials took the prophet Jeremiah and lowered him by ropes into the cistern of the royal prince Malchiah, which was in the courtyard of the guard. The cistern had no water, only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud (Jeremiah 38:6). As I meditate on this passage, I am reminded of the prophet Jonah, who disobeyed God's command. When he prayed to his God from the belly of the great fish (Jonah 2:1), he described himself as being in the deep waters (vv. 3, 5) and sinking down to the roots of the mountains, imprisoned in the land of death (v. 6). Yet, despite his situation, the prophet Jonah prayed to God, saying, "But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord" (v. 9). As a result, the Lord saved the prophet Jonah’s life from death (v. 6). If the Lord rescued the disobedient prophet Jonah, ...