Lessons Learned from Jonah. Robert Snitko

reality hit home for Jonah. A messenger of God in the Old Testament, Jonah, was given a direct order from God so that His truth could be proclaimed boldly (Jonah 1:1–2). But Jonah decided that he knew better. Jonah paid a fare, and sailed in the complete opposite direction of where God was asking Him to go. Jonah fled from the Lord because he feared what God was asking him to do (Jonah 1:3). God wanted to use Jonah in Nineveh—a broken and desperate place—so that he could preach against the city. But Jonah, in his selfishness and fear, ran away from God.

      In the midst of our running from God, Jesus Christ remains on the throne. His bloodshed has already occurred on our behalf. In our failure to stop running, God, in His grace and mercy, bestows His forgiveness to us in His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ covers our disobedient pursuit of God and His will for our lives.

      Call to Action

      Are you running from God? Are you afraid that God is going to ask you to do something that you may not be comfortable with? Are you living in fear? Do you know what God is asking of you, therefore you have decided to flee from Him? Often times, we run from God because we’re afraid of what He may ask us to do. If that’s you, I want to encourage you to pause. Take a moment to ask God for forgiveness for the fact that you continue to run from Him when He is asking you to slow down and incline your ear to Him. Ask God to speak to you so that you may understand what it is that He desires from you.

      Reflections on Jonah 1:1–3

      “In the midst of our running from God, Jesus Christ remains on the throne.”

      In the Midst of Storms

      Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.”

      Jonah 1:4–6

      When a storm comes your way, how do you respond? Do you turn to God, or do you turn to your own form of a god? When Jonah boarded the ship for Tarshish, he blatantly disobeyed the commands that God had given him. Because of Jonah’s disobedience, God sent a violent storm that threatened to thrash the ship. The sailors were terrified. In their fear they each cried out to their own god, but the storm did not abate. It simply grew worse.

      In the midst of the storms in our lives, do we cry out to the One True God who can heal and meet us right where we are at? Or do we cling to the idols of this world, trying to seek fulfillment in the things that replace God in our lives? What do you cling to in the midst of storms? Is it a material possession? Is it an ongoing addiction that you continue to participate in because it brings you temporary relief? To what god do you cling when you are being ravaged by the storms of this life?

      God sends storms our way so that our faith in Him may be strengthened. Often, when things are going well, we don’t want anything to do with God because we don’t believe that we need Him. We only come to Him when we are in a difficult place. God is a jealous God (Exodus 20:4–5) and He wants our affection. The New Testament tells us that we ought to consider it pure joy when we encounter various storms in our lives, as these storms produce steadfastness and endurance in our faith (James 1:2–3). So what is God trying to do in the midst of Jonah’s disobedience? God is trying to get Jonah’s attention by sending a storm. Yet, Jonah refused to deal with the storm in his life, choosing instead to lie down below the deck, hoping that God forgets his disobedience.

      We, too, fall short of being wholly obedient to God. We run just as Jonah ran. We hide just as Jonah hid. And God tries to get our attention by sending storms our way. Are we going to trust that He has a far greater purpose for us than we could ever imagine? What if we continue to fall short in the midst of storms? When we fail to live up to God’s standards, God repeatedly displays His grace in the gospel. God accomplishes His purpose in our lives through His Son, Jesus Christ. And when we fall short, Christ will cover us. When storms come our way, God will cover us with His grace. When we lack trust and choose to go our separate way, God seeks us out and captures our attention. God is a God who constantly draws near to His people. He has united Himself to His people in Jesus Christ. And when storms come our way, the incarnation of the Son of God is our hope. Even Jesus encountered many storms in His life, and He was able to overcome them because of God’s faithful grace alone.

      Call to Action

      What do you do in the midst of a storm? Do you cling to worthless idols, or do you hold fast to the One True God, who is eager to meet you where you are? Ask God to meet you in the storms that come your way. Know that He is patient with you and wants to give you His peace and His strength in the midst of your storm. Trust in Him.

      Reflections on Jonah 1:4–6

      “When we fail to live up to God’s standards, God repeatedly displays His grace in the gospel.”

      Identity

      Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. So they asked him, “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?” He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”

      Jonah 1:7–9

      Identity is a loaded word. It is, quite literally, the definition of one’s personhood. Some understand their identity within the context of their work environment. Some associate their identity with their country of origin, or where they have grown up for most of their lives. Others define their identity according to the type of people with which they associate themselves. And for the Christian, identity is found in one’s faith.

      As the storm continues in the Jonah narrative, the sailors begin to panic. The cries to their own gods did not calm the storm. So in order to figure out the cause of the storm, they cast lots. The lots fell on Jonah, which urged their need of an explanation. They begin to interrogate him: “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 1:8).” The sailors are interested in Jonah’s identity; they want to know who he really is and so they can determine the cause of the storm. Jonah replied to them, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and dry land” (Jonah 1:9). Regardless of Jonah’s disobedience, he knows to whom he belongs.