A PERFECT STORM

God is not resisted easily. The fugitive prophet’s cruise away from his calling turned into a battle for survival, as a great storm overwhelmed the ship: the language in the Hebrew text paints a picture of God ‘hurling' the perfect storm at the ship in the same way a spear is thrown. God has the weather firmly under control (Psa. 135:7) – it’s just His people who offer more resistance.

So why did God insist on pursuing Jonah? If the runaway wasn’t interested in accepting the Nineveh assignment, then presumably there were others who would quickly step forward to become God’s ambassador to the Assyrians.

Jonah 1:4

Psalm 115:1-18

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But the Lord sent a strong wind over the Mediterranean Sea. A wild storm came up.

Jonah 1:4

But for whatever reason, Jonah was the chosen instrument for this task. Sometimes we resist God’s call because we feel inadequate, or because it will cause too much disruption; we have other plans. The Lord was passionate that Jonah be a man of destiny. Even though the moment was overshadowed by anger and petulance, Jonah was being steered by God to walk into his finest hour – the potential exhilaration of seeing an entire city, from the king down to the domestic pets, turn towards the Lord en masse. Each one of us was designed for purpose; God invites us, not to merely chase after our small ambitions, but to play our unique part in His kingdom plan.

God cares deeply that we reach our potential. Our reluctance to serve Him doesn’t create a mere raised eyebrow in heaven, but a wounded heart. He doesn’t easily take no for an answer.

Prayer: Father, I want to learn to really live. What plans have You written over my life? Amen.

IT’S MY LIFE

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Jonah 1:4

Ephesians 4:22-32

When we are challenged about our bad behaviour, we will often say ‘It’s my life, and I can do what I want with it. As long as I’m not hurting anybody, what I do is nobody else’s business.’ That idea is a central tenet of the political philosophy first proposed by the English philosopher, John Stuart Mill. But the statement is rarely true. Bad choices create repercussions that reverberate beyond us. We don’t live in a vacuum. The person who has a casual fling may break the hearts of their partner, and leave their children bereft; the banker who makes unethical investments might reap a fat profit but wreak havoc in the lives of others. The lust-enflamed consumer of pornography feeds an industry that shames and even traffics the vulnerable. And even the one whose lifestyle choices bring sickness and premature death to themselves, brings grief and loneliness to those closest to them.

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It was so wild that the ship was in danger of breaking apart.

Jonah 1:4

The sailors in Jonah’s story were just going about their business. As we will see, they acted more nobly than Jonah, the socalled man of God. But his wilful rebellion placed them in a place of fear and very real danger. And in an interesting literal twist, even the ship is personified in this episode. One translation (the NIV) says, ‘the ship threatened to break up’. Inanimate objects don’t threaten anything or anybody, but here the author wants us to know how everyone and everything was endangered because of Jonah’s defiance. What we do affects others.

We are called to kindness and care. Are we hurting someone with our choices?

Prayer: Father, with the knowledge that my choices have impact beyond myself, help me to walk wisely today. Amen.

WED 26 JUL

HELP!

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Jonah 1:5

Psalm 46:1-11

It’s interesting to see how various commentators address the news that the terrified sailors responded to the storm, which must have been huge to create fear in such seasoned mariners. One scholar rather snootily dismisses their praying because ‘they were calling out for assistance, not in repentance’. But that’s unfair, as we shall see, for those same sailors would cast lots to see whose sin it was that had caused the storm. They showed at least that much moral concern, although it was surely fuelled by a desire to survive! Others are more positive about the sailors’ prayerful response, even though it was to false gods – at least they were looking beyond themselves for help. Sometimes the only prayer I can offer is, ‘God, please help!’ And I think it’s a prayer that God welcomes. As the Psalmist celebrates the God who ‘is always there to help us in times of trouble’ (Psa. 46:1), he uses words that portray God who is close and sufficient for any situation.

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All of the sailors were afraid. Each one cried out to his own god for help.

Jonah 1:5

Recently I had a conversation with a formerly successful businessman. Now, with the current economic challenges, he is facing very real difficulties. I asked him if he regularly brought his concerns and worries to God in prayer. ‘Oh no’, he insisted, ‘I pray for others, but it seems selfish for me to pray for my own situation.’ And he was quite wrong. God wants us to ‘turn all [our] worries over to him. He cares about [us]’ (1 Pet. 5:7). Are we anxious, or bewildered? Let’s yell ‘help’.

Prayer: Lord, please help. Amen.

Sound Asleep

READ Jonah 1:5

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

We might wonder how Jonah managed to sleep through such a ferocious storm. An unusual word for sleep is used here, which suggests that he was in a deep, even hypnotic state. The word tarde mâ is translated fast asleep, a dead sleep, almost anaesthetised. Some suggest that Jonah was exhausted and depressed because he was wilfully running from God. What a contrast he is to our Jesus who slept during a storm (Mark 4:35-41). Though both were tired, Jesus was exhausted after a weary day’s work of serving the Father’s purposes, while Jonah was determined to avoid God’s plans. The Bible frequently uses sleep as a metaphor to call us to be spiritually alert and intentional. Life doesn’t work when we drift into a cruise control mentality. Prayer is neglected; we might make poor choices about diet and alcohol intake, and exercise falls by the wayside. And as sleeping Jonah was oblivious to the plight of the terrified ship’s crew, we can nod off into a self-centred existence, wrapped up in our own world, indifferent to the needs of others.

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But Jonah had gone below deck. There he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.

Jonah 1:5

Jesus called the Christians in Sardis to ‘Wake up!’ (Rev. 3:2). They still had work to do. And Jesus used the picture of sleep in the parable of the Ten Bridesmaids (Matt. 25: 1-13). One commentator remarks, ‘Even through the roaring of the wind and the tossing of the ship, Jonah remained asleep, as dead to the world as he was to God.’6

Today, let’s be clear-minded and focused –and wide awake.

Prayer: I want to be wide awake in life, Lord – focused, diligent, alert and fully alive in every moment. Amen.

It was one of those strange, ‘I’ve been here before’ moments. Sound asleep, Jonah was shaken by the ship’s captain, who just happened to repeat God’s original command to Jonah to ‘rise up and call’. A polytheist (who probably had many gods and goddesses in his belief system) was reminding Jonah of his commission, and that he was a fugitive from God.

Truth

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Jonah 1:6

Numbers 22:21-41

For some reason we tend to think the Church has a total monopoly on truth and that everything that doesn’t originate from her is fallen wisdom. But I often hear the heartbeat of God expressed by those who don’t profess to follow Him or love Him at all. Truth can be found in unusual places. Hollywood is an example. Some films make prophetic statements about the human condition –echoing God’s Word as they do so. Two Jim Carrey films, The Truman Show and Bruce Almighty, are crammed with amazing insights about grace. Perhaps some Christian screenwriters were involved...

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The captain went down to him and said, ‘How can you sleep? Get up and call out to your god for help!’

Jonah 1:6

And great truths can be found in music. I’ve come to believe that there’s no such thing as ‘Christian’ music – just music that’s good, bad, or indifferent. In their descriptions of beauty and their teaching of truth, we can be both challenged and delighted by the melodies and lyrics of poets and songwriters. Let’s remember that God is not a localised deity who lives in the cloisters of the Church. He can speak through a donkey if He wants! (Num. 22:28). We may hear His voice today through the most unexpected sources.

Prayer: Lord, may I be attentive as I navigate life, eager to hear Your whisper, even when I least expect it. Amen.

Jonah 1:7-9

Matthew 6:25-33 lifewithlucas.co.uk/

As lots are cast, Jonah sat perhaps sullen and silent while the sailors went through the torturous process of casting. Finally, he is exposed as the guilty party, and the sailors quiz the fugitive prophet with five quick-fire questions. And incredibly, Jonah ignores the first two. He doesn’t confirm that the lot casting is correct, and he says nothing about his work – mainly because he’s not doing the prophetic work that God called him to!

Just as Jonah had been tight-lipped when God called him, now he initially tries the same approach with the enquiring mariners. But then it gets worse. Jonah announces, ‘I’m a Hebrew. I worship the Lord. He is the God of heaven.’ At first glance this looks like a moment of breakthrough: finally Jonah is affirming his faith, clarifying his identity. But notice that Jonah speaks of his ethnicity before he describes his spirituality. And that might be the root of his problem, because as a fierce nationalist, he was more concerned about Israel (and refused to minister to her enemies) than obeying God.

Writing in the 1930s, in his book The Four Loves, C. S. Lewis argues that love of country can be twisted into an idol – if we put anything, including our nation, before God, we embrace idolatry. Just how dangerous this can be was becoming obvious in Nazi Germany. When our political views become primary, and our commitment to the kingdom of God is secondary, we’re missing the call of Jesus – to seek His kingdom first. To ponder: Look at today’s Going Deeper. Are there any signs of misguided nationalism in us?

I was talking with a man who had been imprisoned for fraud, was estranged from his children, and currently cheating on his wife, with multiple partners. ‘Do you have a faith?’, I ventured. ‘Of course’, he nodded. ‘I’m a Christian.’ Despite a great deal of evidence to the contrary, he parroted his response, apparently oblivious to the gap between his faith profession and his lifestyle.

Hypocrite

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Jonah 1:9-10

James 4:1-17

As we pause for a moment and look even closer at the moment when Jonah finally affirms who he is, we notice a similar pattern. Jonah insists that he worships God – the word used there is often translated fear – a reverent respect and commitment to the God who made everything. But Jonah’s words stand in stark contradiction to his actions. His attitude reflects the same duality of the one who says, ‘Do as I say, not as I do.’ Jonah affirms that God made the sea – and then uses the sea as a means of escape from the God who made that sea!

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‘I’m a Hebrew. I worship the Lord. He is the God of heaven. He made the sea and the land.’

Jonah 1:9

Let’s allow this episode to challenge us. When asked, I quickly affirm I am a follower of Jesus, but I need to ensure that my statement is up to date. How easily we can give our lives to Jesus, only to gradually, even unconsciously, take them back again. Slowly, without realising, we start making key decisions without counsel or prayer. Career ambitions or income become primary concerns. James, in his hard-hitting epistle, confronts that kind of attitude as he calls us to submit our plans to the will of God. Prayer: Father, I don’t want to lie to others, or myself, because I have drifted away from living wholeheartedly for You. Help me, please. Amen.