Читать книгу Lessons Learned from Jonah - Robert Snitko - Страница 10

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.”