Work Text:
Blurry.
Everything was hazy as Jonah’s vision weakened in the deep.
His legs had grown tired from moving—kicking. His shouts made no sound, only bubbles escaped from his mouth. Jonah's life was ebbing away, and all he felt was dread as his heart ached and his lungs burned for air.
Where do I go if I die? I don’t want to die! Someone, save me!
He couldn’t grip anything; there was nothing but endless water all around him. Seaweed wrapped itself around his neck. His lungs were exhausted, his strength fading.
Jonah Rivers had gone surfing without telling his friends when a massive wave swallowed him whole, snapping his board.
No one had come to his rescue yet, and Jonah didn’t even know if they realized he was gone.
I’m suffocating. Is there really no one who can save me? Isn’t there a God? Anyone!
As Jonah felt the last of his hope wither, he cried out to the Lord—Jesus Christ—the One he had heard about from his best friend, Jacob Hayes.
The twenty-year-old had brushed him off, thinking his faith a fairytale. It seemed like a desperate attempt to find some meaning in life.
“Joe,” Jacob said, looking him in the eye, his gaze serious yet sincere. The blonde haired young man clasped a firm hand on Jonah’s shoulder. “I know it sounds crazy, but Jesus is real man. I’m not making this up. H-He’s real. And so are heaven and hell.”
Jonah had known Jacob since high school.
His best friend hadn’t been a Christian a few months ago, as far as Jonah remembered. If anything, they hadn’t been in contact for some time.
Jonah scoffed, thinking this might be a spiritual phase, like his former anime obsession or other things he’d become fixated on. He wondered if his friend had been misled into following a cult.
Jacob was gullible—apparently delusional too.
“Are you for real?” Jonah raised an eyebrow, holding back a snicker. “Jake, come on—where’s this coming from? Is it Jehovah’s Witnesses?”
“I’m serious. A few months ago I…” Jacob paused, and Jonah noticed the heaviness in his friend’s expression. Jonah’s lips formed a line—no longer joking. “I almost… I was so depressed. I felt like I didn’t matter, like life was meaningless. I was about to do something stupid that night.”
Jonah was surprised.
He went silent.
Jake had never shown signs of depression—not that Jonah would have known.
The blonde always seemed happy-go-lucky.
Did that make Jonah a bad friend?
Jacob explained that night, when he almost put the blade to his wrist, he couldn’t. It was as if a force physically held him back.
Then a wave of emotion unlike anything he had felt washed over him. Overwhelmed, he dropped to his knees, feeling a whisper in his heart: “I love you.”
Jacob had no tangible evidence, only the knowledge in his heart that it was God’s hand on his life.
It was Jesus who saved him from his demise. Now, as Jonah’s life was ebbing away and all hope seemed lost, all he could think about was that name: Jesus.
Jesus, please save me! Help me! Have mercy! Jesus, please God!
Only muffled sounds escaped his lips as water overtook him completely.
Jonah was drowning.
The last bit of energy drained from him.
He drifted aimlessly for a second or two until he lost consciousness.
Black.
Everything was dark.
The noice around him stifled and it felt as though he was nowhere.
Jonah's limbs were numb and heavy, impossible to move.
“-onah!”
Am I dead?
“Jonah!”
The dark haired boy's hazel eyes snapped open as he coughed up water. Someone lifted him, and he vomited salty liquid. His throat was sore, raw, and his mouth tasted bitter.
He was alive.
“Jonah! Can you hear me?”
Blurry.
Everything was still fuzzy as he blinked at distorted figures. He coughed heavily and felt himself being lifted. He looked at the sky and saw a bright light—as if the heavens were opening.
Words roared through his blocked ears:
"I heard you, my son. I have brought you back to life."
“Lady, you need to calm down or give us some space.”
Jonah blinked again, regaining his vision.
Leah, his girlfriend, was crying in the arms of her sister, Rachel.
His heart twisted at the sight of her tear-stained cheeks.
“Joe!”
Jacob was by his side, speaking with the lifeguard as they placed Jonah on a stretcher.
“J-Jake,” he croaked, getting his friend’s attention. “Jac—ob.”
“Jonah, you're going to be okay,” Jacob said, his voice scratchy, pink tinted eyes relieved. “I’m glad to see you’re still alive bro. We’re taking you to the hospital—don’t try to talk, save your breath.”
“Jacob… you were right about God. He is real.”
Jacob looked taken aback then smiled. “Took you almost dying to figure that out, huh? Same here man.”
Jonah coughed a laugh.
“When I asked God to open your eyes, I didn’t expect it to go like this,” Jacob chuckled to himself, “I’m happy though—not that you almost died, but that you believe.”
“Wha-” Jonah backtracked, eyeing Jacob suspiciously, “What do you mean open my eyes?”
“No need to panic dude. I just prayed for you like a normal person would. You were the one who went surfing without telling us! Not the best idea,” Jacob said, half-amused. “Everyone’s worried about you, bro. Especially Leah.”
🌊 Jonah 2:7 📖
“When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.”
A/N:
God is able to save!
When I cried out to him, he heard me! He answered me, and delivered me!
Thanks for reading 🫶🏼
Rewritten:
04 October 2025 © K.J.M