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I have never been in a ship tossed and battered by a storm. It must be a terrifying experience! That’s what happened to Jonah when he tried to run from God. God sent a storm to get Jonah back on track. Of course, Jonah didn’t want to change directions. No, he decided that the way to save the ship and people on board was to be thrown overboard. That’s what he said in Jonah 1:11-12, “The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they [the sailors] asked him, ‘What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?’
‘Pick me up and throw me into the sea,’ he replied, ‘and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.’” (NIV)
The sailors didn’t want to throw Jonah overboard. But after exhausting all other possibilities, they finally heaved him over the rail. The raging waves grew calm!
Notice the extent of Jonah’s rebellion. God had called him to preach to the enemy of his people. He ran from God by sailing for Tarshish. Then, he decided to keep running from God by dying in the sea! But you know the story, right? God thwarted Jonah’s plan because a big fish swallowed him and later spit him up on shore. When people run from God, they get in over their heads. Storms often batter them. Take it from Jonah – don’t run from obeying God. Rather trust him!
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.