Jonah & The Sailors

Jonah 1:1-16

God asked Jonah to go and share His message with the people of Ninevah. Jonah just turned and ran instead, and hopped on a boat to Tarshish. [Go ahead and say that name a few times, it’s a guaranteed party.] God did not take Jonah’s disobedience lightly, so He created a violent storm strong enough to break ships in half. 

--> God does not take your obedience/disobedience lightly.

In the midst of the violent storm, all the sailors on the ship that Jonah caught “were afraid and each cried out to his own god.” They threw out cargo in the hope that they could lighten the load and feel the storm less. The sailors even tried to row their way out of the storm, which resulted in the storm growing increasingly worse. They turned to their own gods, and they tried to help themselves. Both failed.

They then asked a million questions of Jonah:

“Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”

Jonah’s reply:

“I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”

--> Jonah’s entire identity and answer to all their questions was wrapped up solely in the God that he worshipped. Where's your identity at?

The sailors then prayed to this God, the God of the land and the sea. God in His magnificent power calmed the sea. 

“At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him.”

The sailors, who had just cried out to their own gods to no avail, now worshipped the One True God. Their own strength had failed them, but they now stood in awe of the strength of the Almighty God.

Although God despises disobedience, He used that, along with Jonah’s declaration of his faith as an opportunity to display His glory to some sailors who may never have seen Him otherwise. God is bigger than everything, so let Him use every part of you including your moments of disobedience, to bring His redemption to your world.

The best thing is to obey. But when do you run away to your Tarshish instead, remember that God is there too. Repent, before God has to use a storm to rock the boats of everyone around you. Then arise and speak His name. Who knows, in the midst of violent storms you may see redemption come to your ship.