Jonah 2:1

Jonah 2:1 says, Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish’s belly.  After three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, Jonah decide to call on God.  I am not sure how long we may choose to rebel against God, but I do know that when we do, we will suffer spiritually until we call out to Him again.  God was saving Jonah during this time.  Had God decided to give up on Jonah, He could have simply let him drown.  Jonah was stubborn about being willing to do God's will.  Hopefully, we as His followers will not be the same way today, but if we are running from God's will, we can be certain that He will not be out to destroy us, but to protect us until we call to Him again.  Verse two adds, 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.  Jonah finally realized that his only hope was to ask God for help.  Jonah may not have been concerned with the people of Nineveh, nor with the sailors that he put in danger, but he was finally concerned with his own life.  He discovered that he had not outrun God.  We today can be certain, even if we don't want God around, when we call out to Him earnestly, He will hear.  Until we are obedient to God in our own lives, we cannot be effective in reaching the lost world.  Jonah said he cried out of the belly of hell.  No matter how plush things may be, when we are running from the will of God, we are spiritually in hell.  We may not literally be in the belly of a whale, but if we are not with God spiritually, there is only one other place to be.  There are not multiple places to reside spiritually, only heaven or bell.    If we are out of God's will, we cannot think that where we are isn't too bad.  Though our ultimate destination is still heaven, if we are out of His will today we are choosing to live in a spiritual hell.