Jonah 1:4-17 (NLT)
But the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart. Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship.
But all this time Jonah was sound asleep down in the hold. So the captain went down after him. “How can you sleep at a time like this?” he shouted. “Get up and pray to your god! Maybe he will pay attention to us and spare our lives.”
Then the crew cast lots to see which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm. When they did this, the lots identified Jonah as the culprit. “Why has this awful storm come down on us?” they demanded. “Who are you? What is your line of work? What country are you from? What is your nationality?”
Jonah answered, “I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.”
The sailors were terrified when they heard this, for he had already told them he was running away from the Lord. “Oh, why did you do it?” they groaned. And since the storm was getting worse all the time, they asked him, “What should we do to you to stop this storm?”
“Throw me into the sea,” Jonah said, “and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.”
Instead, the sailors rowed even harder to get the ship to the land. But the stormy sea was too violent for them, and they couldn’t make it. Then they cried out to the Lord, Jonah’s God. “O Lord,” they pleaded, “don’t make us die for this man’s sin. And don’t hold us responsible for his death. O Lord, you have sent this storm upon him for your own good reasons.”
Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once! The sailors were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him.
Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.
Two things:
First, are you going through a storm in your life right now because you blatantly disobeyed God? Are you and your family suffering for the decisions you’re making right now? Jonah realized that he was wrong and acknowledged “that this terrible storm is all my fault.” Are you going to continue to run away from God or are you going to listen to God. Decide right now.
Secondly, as John (the Pastor, not the Baptist) has stated before, is there a Jonah in your life? Is there a person in your life that you need to get away from? Are you suffering through storm after storm because you’re allowing this person and their influence to remain in your life? You know the person I’m talking about. They popped into your head as you read the past few sentences. It’s time to throw them off the boat (your life!) and move on!
These are tough things to swallow but they are vital if we’re going to grow closer to Christ in our lives. Give the Jonah's in your life to God and walk away from them. Your ship will crash and you will drown if you don’t.
