In this piece of Christian art inspired by the Bible, Andy painted his interpretation of Jonah and the whale. Specifically, he focused on Jonah's prayer in chapter 2. If you've forgotten the story of Jonah and the whale, here's a summary of what happened...

In Jonah Chapter 1, God told Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach to the people there. But instead, Jonah went to the port of Joppa and found a ship headed for Tarshish. So, God sent a huge storm at sea. The sailors were terrified and, after talking with Jonah, realized the storm was his fault because he hadn't obeyed God. Jonah told the sailors that if they threw him overboard, the storm would stop. At first they didn't listen and the storm continued. So, they prayed to God and then threw Jonah overboard. The storm immediately stopped, and they thanked God. Then God assigned a whale to swallow Jonah. Jonah was in the whale’s belly three days and nights.

In Jonah Chapter 2, Jonah prayed to God from inside the belly of the whale. The entire prayer is handwritten on this piece of art.

Verses 2 and 9 stand out to me the most: “I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and Lord, you heard me! ... For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.” These are great verses to meditate on and speak over your situation when you find yourself feeling despair and hopelessness.

On a lighter note, I have a story to share. In May 2009, I was eight months pregnant with our fourth child. We were out and bumped into our friend Hunter. He asked us what we were going to name the baby, and we told him Jonah. He started laughing and I asked what was so funny. He said, "Jonah... in the belly of the whale!" Oh, good one, Hunter. You are hilarious. Really. Just what every pregnant chick wants, to be compared to a whale!

If you're interested in purchasing this piece of Christian art or a similar one, contact Andy.

Christian Art Inspired By the Bible: Jonah and the Whale