After 40 years of watching “It’s a Wonderful Life,” I finally saw the very beginning of the movie, which identifies the initiating force for the arrival of Clarence, the angel, to help George Bailey – the prayers of others.

In the opening segment, prayers rise to heaven from acquaintances, friends and family, for the man who never thought of himself. Two angels, Joseph and Franklin, hear the many prayers and decide to send Clarence, a second class angel, to assist. The rest is movie history.

I marveled that I had missed something so important for so long or, perhaps I saw it now because I have finally learned, first hand, the power of intercessory prayer. In George’s case, a crisis in his life led him to run from himself, and from the life God had filled with purpose. The prayers of others helped him get back on the right path.

It’s likely that most of us, at one time or another, have been in George’s shoes, questioning the value of our lives, our work, our accomplishments and thinking it would be better for everyone, especially us, if we just run away from it all. We get caught up in the foolish notion that we can run from God. There is no better example of this than Jonah, the reluctant prophet, who learned a hard lesson about the folly of running from God.

Scripture recounts that, not only did Jonah attempt to flee from God’s request to preach repentance to the Ninevites, he was confident enough in his decision to sleep soundly in the hold of the ship while the waters raged around him. 

Even his Phoenician shipmates realized that running from God has consequences, so, to protect themselves, they threw a once cocky Jonah overboard and then prayed for mercy. God was merciful, not only to them but to Jonah as well, giving him a place to reflect and regain his senses for a few days – in the belly of a big fish. For Jonah, this was a well-timed crisis with the potential of a turning point.

Interestingly, the Hebrew word for crisis, mashber, means the moment of birth – undoubtedly a time of great turmoil for a newborn child. For us, it is both a promising and challenging perspective to see new life in the most frightening or painful of experiences. Jonah’s prayer from inside the fish shows his heart moving in the right direction. He reflects on his experience of being thrown overboard, recounting his descent to the deep; the teeming, swirling waters pushing him down to the ocean floor, his head wrapped in seaweed, his soul fainting in fear, until the God of mercy rescues him in a wondrous way.

Jonah acknowledges, “Those who worship vain idols forsake their source of mercy. But I, with resounding praise, will sacrifice to you: What I have vowed I will pay: deliverance is from the Lord.”

The whale spat Jonah up on the shore where he could have a second chance at his mission and make good on his promise. Unfortunately, he would soon forget his earlier predicament and confront God in anger because God forgave the Ninevites. 

Jonah thought he knew best, he felt justified to be judge and jury, was easily angered and self-absorbed. But God wanted him for a reason, in spite of all this, so God continued to challenge Jonah with the lessons he needed to learn.

As we enter the New Year and consider our resolutions, it might be helpful to remember Jonah and the folly of running from God.  And may our New Year be blessed with the prayers of others who call down the angels on our behalf.

Mary Clifford Morrell is the author of “Things My Father Taught Me About Love,” and “Let Go and Live: Reclaiming your life by releasing your emotional clutter,” both available as ebooks on Amazon.com.