30 Days of Prayer Focus
Day 27. Pray that we not only advocate God’s kingdom, but demonstrate it “in power” (I Corinthians 4:20).
Eat This Book
Read Proverbs Chapter 27
Jonah 1
1 Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
4 But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.
5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.
6 So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.
7 And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.
8 Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?
9 And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear theLord, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.
10 Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him. Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.
11 Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous.
12 And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.
13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.
14 Wherefore they cried unto the Lord, and said, We beseech thee, O Lord, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, OLord, hast done as it pleased thee.
15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.
16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows.
17 Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
The POFW Daily Bible Reading 
When we ask people about themselves, we usually ask questions similar to what the mariners sailing with Jonah asked: Where are you from? What do you do for a living? What is your family like? In answering the sailors, Jonah’s simple but straightforward description of himself is rich with meaning. He focuses only on the fact that he belongs to God. He is a Hebrew, a descriptor first attributed to Abram (Gen 14:13), the father of God’s chosen people, the Israelites. Not only is Jonah aligning himself with the God of Abraham, and thus distinguishing himself from the culture around him, be he is also informing the sailors of who is causing the storm- “the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land” Immediately, the people around are terrified because they understand that the cargo they are carrying -Jonah- is endangering everyone else on the ship. The decisions we make will effect everyone around us and every ministry we touch. We don’t have to be minsters, teachers, or leaders to know that if we are claimed children of the Lord, have His Spirit living within us we are held at a different light. Every move we make will be watched and measured. When we step out of line even the lost will be effected. Out of mercy the Lord prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah, to save his life after being tossed overboard the ship. God sent His only Son Jesus as our life raft. His blood has saved us from a life of sin.
5 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.
16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows.
17 Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Sometimes in the middle of the storm we just have to let ourselfs go we are in Gods hand. Even though everything is out of control God has a plan.
15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.
16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows.
17 Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Even these people from other countries tried to keep from throwing Jonah overboard, but finally gave in to Jonah. When they did what Jonah told them to do the sea was ceased from her raging.
The great part of this story to me is Jonah was running from his calling, but God was still working with him.
Jonah gave the others the solution to his problem.
God was angry with Jonah, these others were affected by Jonah’s rebellion. We must always remember when we rebel it does affect those around us.
The Lord had prepared a great fish for Jonah because he was not finished with Jonah.
Thank God for a God that will not give up on us!!!
15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.
16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows.
Even though Jonah had been running from Him, God was able to use him to do a miracle and show that He was the one, true God. What could God use us to do if we would quit running?
The Fear of The Lord: The Christian requirement
Jonah 1:3
But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish:so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
Jonah 1:9
And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.
The fear of The Lord is vital. It is half of our purpose here on earth.
Ecclesiastes 12:13
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:Fear God, and keep his commandments:for this is the whole duty of man.
As Jonah demonstrated, without the fear of The Lord we cannot keep his commandments.
If we don’t keep his commandments we can’t say we love him.
1 John 5:2-3
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments:and his commandments are not grievous.
Jonah was a prophet. He looked the part, but his heart wasn’t in the right place.
When we live in the fear of The Lord several things happen.
Proverbs 1:7 it’s the beginning of knowledge
Proverbs 8:13
13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil:
pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way,
and the froward mouth, do I hate.
Proverbs 9:10 it’s the beginning of wisdom
Proverbs 14:27 its strong confidence
Proverbs 19:23 it tendeth to life, and brings satisfaction
Proverbs 22:4
4 By humility and the fear of the Lord
are riches, and honour, and life.
A constant continuous fear, awe, respect, and honor of God will keep up from sin, and in blessings.
Had Jonah truly lived in the fear of The Lord there would have never been a fish prepared for him.
The fear of The Lord is not optional. If we want to please him, and do his will we will live in the fear of The Lord.
2 Corinthians 7:1
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
12 And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.
13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.
14 Wherefore they cried unto the Lord, and said, We beseech thee, O Lord, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, OLord, hast done as it pleased thee.
Some people live under the impression “it is my life, I can live it anyway I want.” Some people believe the only repercussion of their actions only involve themselves; that is not the case. Here, Jonah ran from God and endangered the lives of the sailors and any other passengers that may have been on this ship.
Have we acted recklessly and endangered those around us? Lord, help me to realize that my life is not my own. Help me to realize how many people are depending on me, waiting on me and replicating my actions.
ILove to eat the Word
14 Wherefore they cried unto the Lord, and said, We beseech thee, O Lord, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, OLord, hast done as it pleased thee.
15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.
16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows.
17 Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Why did these pagan men turn into believers of the Most High God? It was the demonstration of the POWER of God that captured their attention. It was also fear of dying that caused them to throw all their extra baggage into the sea and turn to prayer.
Also, notice that they had a deep maybe subconscious understanding of the One true God. That is because each spirit deep inside of man truely longs and desires the Creator of the universe.
The world today knows that the God of the Oneness Pentecostals is the one true God. It might be a subconscious knowledge, but it’s there somewhere hidden all the false doctrine strongholds of life. What we need is DEMONSTRATION of the Holy Ghost.
And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:4, 5 KJV)
Demonstration 585
None
ἀπόδειξις apódeixis
Noun Feminine ap-od’-ike-sis
from (584)
from ; manifestation:–demonstration.
a making manifest, showing forth
a demonstration, proof
thank you Lord..for everything but thank you for letting me wake up another day with you by my side i love you so much…thank you
YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CANNOT HIDE
2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
We learn from Jonah that we are not always going to like or agree with what GOD says. We also learn from Jonah as well as Adam that YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CANNOT HIDE. GOD’s plan is HIS purpose and he will exhaust and frustrate every area of our lives to see what price we are willing to pay to “RUN from” or “RUN to” GOD.
Jonah chose to “RUN from” GOD in verse 3 the Bible says that he rose up to FLEE from the presence of the LORD. How do you run from someone who is omnipresent and omnipotent?
YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CANNOT HIDE
Adam attempted to hide in the garden behind some leaves that GOD created. You may run from the will of GOD, but you will never get away from the presence of GOD. As we witness with Jonah; INNOCENT people are in danger when we REBEL against the will of GOD.
Today choose obedience, choose submission, GOD has much wind and many whales if we choose that route,
iRepent
iPraise
iPray
iWork
iGive
iReap
3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
4 But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.
We can know that The Lord is dealing with us and has put a calling on our lives and try to run from it, but God is merciful and will send other things your way to try to get you to change your mind and do what you knew all along that you needed to do.That is a loving God that will keep dealing with you after you have tried to run from Him.
God please don’t ever give up on me or my family.
Not following the will of God not only hurts you, but those around you also. We must not try to run from the will of God for our lives, but yield to it because ultimately God will have his way.
1:10-14 Cast me forth into the sea (v.12) has been taken by some to indicate his repentance and heroic faith. However, his statement could well indicate the intensity of his disobedience: he would targets die than repent and go to Nineveh.
John 11:50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
God says our own testimony is our greatest soul winning tool.
A messaged preached on Jonah showed that as Jonah ran from God he was headed down:
3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord…
In vs 5 he had gone down into the ship. While we run from God we are going down…we’re sinking so to speak whether we know it or not.
But in his mercy God still has a plan for our lives & as soon as we decide to stop running we’ll see the storm will end. Thank God he loves us while we’re running and receives us back again-even though he may use a storm to get our attention.
Running a race you were never intended to run- just leaves you exhausted and in the same boat you were in the first place. When’s God calls you his kingdom, you can listen or you can choose to run a pointless race but HIS WILL—will be done.
Every decision we make affects others around us. Abandoning our post in the kingdom of God leaves others scrambling to fill the gap. I pray that God would allow me to realize that’s it not all about me.
When God calls you for His purpose; do not run away for you will finish in the belly of a great fish. When you walk away from His will the storms come to warn you. Return to Him and do as He had purposed for you.
9 And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear theLord, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.
16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows.
Romans 11:29
29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
Jonah was a prophet, even though he ran from God he was still able to be used. He testified of the one true God and prophesied what had to be done to save everyone in the ship. Even though he was on a downward backsliding slope he still had his gifts from God and his calling never left. The men of the ship turned from their false idols upon seeing the power of the one true God, one they would have not known was in control without first the testimony of the Hebrew on their ship.
Bro. Tallants message “The High Cost of a Bad Decision” rings in my heart today as I read this chapter. Jonah’s choice of disobedience and running from what God called him to do, not only put him in a bad place (the belly of a fish), but also cost those that were on the ship with him. Lesson to be learned here is everything we do has consequences and those consequences does not just effect us, it effects those around us as well. We must always consider that when making decisions out of the will of God!
AMEN
You cannot run from God, we probably look like hamsters in a running wheel to God. Trying to run so fast from a calling that you know God has upon your life while God just watches until you wear yourself out and you finally let Him use you in wonderous ways – in Jonas case, saving souls.
There were several things about this passage that caught my attention:
3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
Once we know the Lord and are sensitive to His instructions, when we disobey, it’s willful and with intent. And we are willing to pay the price, whatever it may be to go our own way. Why is it they we are willing to pay the price to sin yet struggle to become a servant/slave for the Master when we receive the free gift of salvation? We would rather knowingly walk away from His presence than submit ourselves completely to his will.
4 But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.
The bigger your storm is the more God is trying to get your attention.
5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.
I’m very intrigued that he was asleep during a very horrific storm, that had seasoned worldly sailors praying and searching for help from gods in desperation yet Jonah was “fast asleep.” Was he asleep because he was resolute in his decision to walk away from God or was he asleep because after his willful disobedience he was numb or unable to hear or see God trying to get his attention?
6 So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not
He was so unaware of what was going on around him, that he had caused, that God sent a worldly, idol worshiper to bring him back to a conscious state and instruct him to call upon God. He still doesn’t immediately identify himself as a child of God. He waits until after God miraculously points the finger at him as the cause of the trouble, then he waits again until he is interrogated by the crew before he proclaims himself as a child of God. Once he submits and identifies himself as belonging to God he is willing to allow God to do whatever He will with his life even unto death and instructs the sailors to throw him into the sea.
12 And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.
These same men that God used to awaken Jonah to call upon the name of the Lord are saved by his act of submission and obedience to God. Jonah was used by God in the midst of his storm to be a witness to others.
MY GOD IS AN AWESOME GOD !!!
Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship. But all this time Jonah was sound asleep down in the hold. So the captain went down after him. “How can you sleep at a time like this?” he shouted. “Get up and pray to your god! Maybe he will pay attention to us and spare our lives.” Then the crew cast lots to see which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm. When they did this, the lots identified Jonah as the culprit. (Jonah 1:5-7 NLT)
I sometimes wonder how individuals can be so calm while the storm is raging around them. This scripture lets us know that Jonas was spiritually asleep. When the outside world has to let you know to get up and pray you know you’re in a bad spot. This scripture is another great example of how ones personal action affects so many other people around us. By Jonas’s decision to run away from God and not submit and follow the order of God’s commands he put everyone in the ship in danger. His decision caused everyone in the ship to suffer a loss since they had to get rid of the cargo. We must be careful with every action that we do because we are leaders at all times and everyone is always watching us.
The only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves. Your lives are a letter written in our hearts; everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you. (2 Corinthians 3:2 NLT)
3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
4 But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.
We always ask God to use us yet when he tries to we run from him. We need to stop running and see what God has in store for us.
Vs.17, “Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”
I have enjoyed reading everyones blog today. I have a couple of thoughts of my own.
One, we understand that Jonah was disobedient to the calling of God to “GO,” and his decision and actions affected other people. Yet God had mercy on Jonah and prepared a great fish to swallow him up.
Which then leads me to my second thought. I have been taught over the years that the Old Testament is a forshadowing of the New Testament. This brought Matt.12:38-40 to mind which says, “Then certain of the scibes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
So as Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights, it was a forshadowing of Jesus’ burial.
3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
4 But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.
What are you willing to pay?
What does your disobedience cost? Are you willing to pay it? These are questions we must answer. Many times we forget that there is a price to pay for sin. It might not be in the here and now, for it might be on judgement day. Now who does it hurt? Just you or others? Well in vs. 4 we see it affected the whole ship. These were people that Jonah did not even know. It affects all that are around you. We must realize that our actions don’t just affect us but others too.
Don’t let someone outside of the faith wake you up. Wake up and do what has been commanded you, and continue to do God’s will. “Wake-up”……..Preaching to myself too……….
6 So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.
_______________________________________________________
Stop running from the call of God, let’s run into his presence and rejoice he has called you.
10 Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him. Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.
_______________________________________________________
God will get your attention, he loves you!………..
17 Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
“Be Blessed”………………………………………………………………
16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows.
Even men who serve false gods, know and understand that there is no God like Jesus.
I find it so interesting that Jonah, upon being told to immediately go to Ninevah, chose to immediately run away. What was his mind set that not only was his first instinct to disobey, but then he also actually followed through with it? How carefully we need to examine and prepare ourselves, so that we respond with obedience when God calls.
This chapter illustrates disobedience. His disobedience almost cost others their lives. One should be ever mindful of the word of God (Jesus), and obey the man of God; “if we deny him, he also will deny us”. What a mighty God we serve! God bless Jerusalem and you all, in Jesus name, Amen
Who is your lifeline?
I want Jesus to be my lifeline. What and how we make our decisions not only effects us but also effects people around us. When we do something that is not right thinking it isn’t going to hurt anyone but in the long run it hurts more than you know. Disobedience does not pay in the end the only thing it does is cause heart ache and pain. There is no one like our God…
This chapter reminds me of the song “God of this City”!
Youre the God of this city
Youre the King of these people
Youre the Lord of this nation
You are
Youre the light in this darkness
Youre the hope to the hopeless
Youre the peace to the restless
You are
There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this city
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this city
Youre the God of this city
Youre the King of these people
Youre the Lord of this nation
You are
Youre the light in this darkness
Youre the hope to the hopeless
Youre the peace to the restless
You are
There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this city
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this city
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this city
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done here
There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God
We believe
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this city
We believe
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this city
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this city
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done here
We believe, we believe greater things
Greater things, greater things
Greater things, greater things
When we obey great things are gonna happen.
14 Wherefore they cried unto the Lord, and said, We beseech thee, O Lord, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, OLord, hast done as it pleased thee.
15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.
16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows.
One mans rebellion was affecting innocent people. What made me think the most in this chapter is where are you carrying the name of the Lord and how are you portraying it? He described himself as a Hebrew that feared the Lord God of heaven, but then it also describes how they were afraid cause they knew he was running from the Lord. My question to myself is how am I carrying that name when I profess to be a follower of Jesus Christ? It is always gonna be God’s way or God’s way. In is unfailing love, there was a second chance for the calling. However, what kind of blessings did Jonah forfeit just for being rebellious. It is wise to consider, listen and obey the commands of the Lord. Our actions affect many.
Don’t kill the people of God
12 And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.
13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.
Even after Jonah told them to throw him in the sea, the sailors still tried to bring the boat to land first. They didn’t want to bring death to a Hebrew(God’s people).
Today, we need to be careful with how we talk about and treat each other, especially brothers and sisters in Christ. God’s purpose is to restore. If you aren’t speaking restoration, you aren’t speaking Christ. Don’t worry about the faults of another unless you are going to intercede for them. This world needs restoration not destruction.
God’s plan isnt always our plan!!
Jonah..Jonah..Jonah was it really worth it to disobey God? Jonah went through all these things because he was full of fear. God had mercy on Jonah, he could have sent someone else and Jonah would have missed his calling. Jonah was the man and God was going to make sure that he will get there any which way he can even if your ride is in a belly of a whale!!
Jonah answered, “I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.” The sailors were terrified when they heard this, for he had already told them he was running away from the Lord. “Oh, why did you do it?” they groaned. And since the storm was getting worse all the time, they asked him, “What should we do to you to stop this storm?” “Throw me into the sea,” Jonah said, “and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.” Instead, the sailors rowed even harder to get the ship to the land. But the stormy sea was too violent for them, and they couldn’t make it. Then they cried out to the Lord, Jonah’s God. “O Lord,” they pleaded, “don’t make us die for this man’s sin. And don’t hold us responsible for his death. O Lord, you have sent this storm upon him for your own good reasons.” The sailors were awestruck by the Lord ’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him. (Jonah 1:9-14, 16 NLT)
Just to know that people are always watching you through your trials, they want to see how you speak, react, and to see if you will STAND on GOD’s promises.
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16 KJV)
Stop running from God, lead others to Christ and not away from God.
A Way Of Return
17 Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Jonah prepared for himself a way of escape, but God prepared a way of return. The inside of a fish may have seemed like a less than ideal situation but it was a divine appointment for Jonah and all of Ninevah. God knows how to get us into situations that will swallow us up and move us to where we need to be if we will return to the Lord. Jonah made poor choices but God illustrates His amazing mercy and love as He shows how He can redeem even a situation that seems unfixable.
Jonah voluntarily cast himself into a storming ocean, presumably leaving himself for dead, yet God was not done with him yet. I can envision that same loving hand reaching out to Jonah that would later reach to pull Peter back up when he began to sink. It may have come in the form of a giant fish and surely the experience was unpleasant, but Jonah would discover it to be the unfathomable love of God refusing to give up on Him.
Jonah’s later discourse with God over His mercy towards Ninevah would show us that Jonah still didn’t *get* what God was showing him through his own miraculous turn-around, but it speaks powerfully to us today. It echoes the choir song last night, “Over my circumstance, giving me another chance, You reign!”
Oh to worship the King of kings, who doesn’t have to but chooses to show us His rich mercy and love! How many times do we fail Him, yet still He catches us in His everlasting arms of love and draws us back to Him again! The prodigal could have died in the pigpen, but God gave him strength to come back home; our choices may turn us from God, but He is so merciful to give us room and strength to repent and get us back where we need to be.
Matthew 14:30-31
But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
Deuteronomy 33:27
The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms…
Jeremiah 31:3
The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
Disobedience, not obeying, from the presence of the LORD fleeing. 1. NOW the word of the LORD came unto Jo’-nah the son of A-mit’-tai, saying, 2. Arise, go to Nin’-e-veh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. 3. But Jo’-nah rose up to flee unto Tar’- shish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Jop’-pa; and he found a ship going to Tar’-shish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tar’-shishfrom the presence of the LORD.
Jonah tried to run and hide from God. He attempted to flee the destiny God had placed upon his life. Too many times we find ourselves in a similar situation, trying to get away from what God has put into okay. Even though we know we can’t run from the presence of God, we get caught up into the fable that maybe there is a way to hide. God sent forth a wind to get Jonah’s attention. When we try to ignore the work God has for us, God has a way of reminding us that he is God.
6 So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.
You have to wake up to see what kind if mess your in. Some are asleep at the wheel and oblivious to the storm around you. Are we asleep in this most desperate time, in the middle of the war? Hie can we sleep at a time like this?
Luke 22:
40 And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.
Jesus is calling us to pray….
45 And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow,
But we sleep?
Rise up church! It’s time to do something about the mess around us!
The enemy would rather us sleep
12 And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.
13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.
14 Wherefore they cried unto the Lord, and said, We beseech thee, O Lord, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, OLord, hast done as it pleased thee.
15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.
I find this part of the chapter interesting. Jonah was the reason why the storm threatened not only his life, but the lives of others around him (for running away from the voice and command of God of course). Jonah was also a complete stranger to these men. However, in the midst of confessing his fault and offering a solution that involved throwing him into the deep to perish, the men on the ship chose not to cast him out so quickly. Instead, they attempted to row “everyone” safely to shore. Then cried unto God for themselves (and for Jonah), trying to find another option, before needing to throw him over board. These men were strangers to Jonah. I feel like many people in today’s society would’ve just thrown him over board, just for the sake of saving their own lives, especially knowing that he was the reason for it all. Placing the blame on him and so willing to throw him into the deep to perish on his own. However, as Christians and children of a God who is forever merciful unto all, we should be willing to try and find another option to try and save not only ourselves but also our brothers/sisters in Christ and the lost around us. If complete strangers wanted to save Jonah, even in the midst of conflict of interest. Why can’t we look past mistakes and errors, trying to help one another “row hard to bring it to the land” (ultimately heaven bound).
v3 ” But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD and went down to Joppa;
What a terrible tragedy to break fellowship with almighty GOD!
In GODS presence we can be changed.
In GOD’S presence pride, hatred , jealously and rebelouness have to flee.
Jonah you didn’t have to run from GOD’s presence. In HIS presence you could have found inner healing….love
for your brethren .( the Nineveh )
Christians should never manifest a hateful and callous attitude for we be brethren. Genesis 13:8
GOD holds us personally responsible for the choices we make.
GODS presence fills the universe but whether it fills our own lives is the choice we all must make.
i Choose to recognize HIS presence
and not run and hide.
iRepent
iPraise
iPray
iGive
iReap
But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. -Jonah 1:3
Fleeing from the presence and the purpose of God will lead you down the wrong road.
Jonah didn’t fear the Lord, he would rather run from God, he didn’t know
the consequences. Lord there is no God like you. Lord deliver me from evrything that stands in the way of doing your will.
Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows. (Jonah 1:16 KJV)
Jonah’s disobedience brought others to the fear if God.
16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows.
There is so much that you can take in from the book of Jonah and especially in the first Chapter. I have been really looking to this book coming up on the blog, there is good tidbits to share from here.
Number #1: The consequences when you disobey and run away from God
3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
Here we see God called Jonah to minister unto the city of Ninevah, because of the judgement that God was gonna show to the city for their sins they had commited. But God doesn’t just bring judgment down onto people without warning, in the bible he often sends prophets to people to warn them of what is to come and to tell people to come back to him so that he may withdraw his hand of judgment upon them.
Isaiah 62:6 I have set Watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem which shall never hold their peace, day nor night, ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence.
So when a man of God tells you something and warns you not to do something, then you need to listen to him, if you don’t, then God can’t protect from what is to come after that. And likewise if you hear a word from the Lord and you don’t listen to or disobey it, then be warned, for your choice to disobey God is gonna come back to follow you, you may think you may be able to run from God, but he will send his winds after you and they will catch up to you and cause destruction to everything around you.
Numbers 20:11-12 And Moses lifted up the his hand and with his rod he smote the rock twice and the water came out abundantly and the congregation drank and their beasts also. And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron. Because ye believed me not to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.
2 Samuel 12:1-7 And the Lord sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him and said unto him. There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished up and it grew up together with him and with his children, it did eat of his own meat and drank of his own cup and lay in his bosom and was unto him as a daughter. And there came a traveller unto the rich man and he spared to take of his own flock to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him but took the poor man’s lamb and dressed it for the man that was come to him. And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man and he said to Nathan. Asthe Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die. And he shall restore the lamb fourfold because he did this thing and he had no pity. And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man Thus saith the Lord God of Israel and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul.
So you have to remember to be personally responsible to yourself in the choices that you make in life, whether they be spiritual, or personal, cause what you do effects what happens to you in your life. But not only does it effect you but it effects everyone around you as well.
God gives us an example of this in nature that scientists like to call “The Butterfly effect.”
Wikipedia explanition: “In chaos theory, the butterfly effect is the sensitive dependency on initial conditions in which a small change at one place in a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state. The name of the effect, coined by Edward Lorenz, is derived from the theoretical example of a hurricane’s formation being contingent on whether or not a distant butterfly had flapped its wings several weeks earlier.
Although the butterfly effect may appear to be an esoteric and unlikely behavior, it is exhibited by very simple systems. For example, a ball placed at the crest of a hill may roll into any surrounding valley depending on, among other things, slight differences in its initial position.”
So we got to realize what we do in our lives also effects others, if we become selfish in our thinking and our ways, then we can’t make the right decisions in life to live our life for God.
Number #2: Your spiritual senses
5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.
The storm that Jonah had selfish brought himself and the sailors of the boat he took to run away from God, was not even noticed by Jonah as he slept through the storm. You would think with storm that violent that it would awake him pretty easily right? Feeling the boat rock to and fro like amusement park ride gone awry. But he did not skip a beat in getting his beauty sleep. But why is this?
You can only sense the rocking of the boat by your sense of touch, you can hear the churning of the sea with your ears. Without the senses, noone would be able to sense any of these things. Jonah’s senses became dull to the storm and what was happening around him.
Have your senses became spiritually dull to what is happening around you? Is a storm right ontop of you and you don’t even notice it?
When we try to do our own thing and shove away the things of God, we slowly become immune to things, such as our conscience, that little voice in your head telling you not to do something you shouldn’t. You slowly start pulling away from the things God wants you to do, going to Church, going to outreach and reaching other people for Jesus, doing that little thing for your friend or neighbor to show the love of Christ through you. And you slowly start giving way to the pleasures of the world and indulge in the sins thereof.
1 Kings 11:4-6 For it came to pass when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other Gods and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord and went not fully after the Lord as did David his father.
Number #3: The hidden secrets
Everyone in their life has secrets that we don’t want people to know about, do you have secrets that you’re trying to hide from God? And from your friends and family that God is telling you not to keep to yourself?
7 And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.
But every secret has a cost, and secrets cannot be kept forever, eventually they will get out, someone will find out what you’re doing… and if they don’t God already knows what you’re doing and he can easily whisper what you’re doing behind closed doors to someone who hears his voice. Don’t try to keep secrets from God, repent from your ways and leave your past behind it, and don’t let your secrets and what has happened to you in life in your life control where you are going now and effect your life and your relationships with other people
Romans 2:16 In the day when shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
Number #4: The sacrifice
12 And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.
So you say, I am running from God, maybe not entirely, but just in certain areas of your life, what do you do? Despite everything that Jonah had done in running away from the Lord and getting a whole ship full of people stuck in a dangerous storm, Jonah knew what to do to make things right with God. He simply gave his life over to the Lord.
He couldn’t have figured it out on his own that throwing himself in the sea would calm the storm, in fact going by the previous verses in this chapter, Jonah was probably thinking of every solution he could to get out of this solution to prevent himself from taking the plunge into the sea and get himself outta dodge. But I believe God clearly told him what he needed to do, and instead of running like he had been… he choice to follow the Lord’s command. Not only did he do that, but he trusted his own life onto God, for he musta knew it was suicide to have himself thrown over into those waters.
The solution for everything in our lives is actually very simple, we need to give it unto God and give our lives to God. Let him take over in your life and trust in him even through a raging storm as you are thrown to your death. For by letting yourself and your desires “die” unto God, he can fill you with his spirit and his ways and change your life in ways you cannot even begin to fathom.
Genesis 22:9-12 And they came to the place which God had told him of, and Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Issac his son and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven and said: Abraham. And he said, here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him for now I know that thou fearest God seeing thou hast not witheld thy son thine only son from me.
Number #5: The unexpected
17 Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
So now Jonah has done what God has told him to do and he has trusted his life unto God, so you think now God is just gonna let Jonah comfortably float safely to the shoreline right? WRONG
It seems as though for Jonah’s act of obediance and trusting God, he gets thrown into an even worse situation then he could have imagined. He probably would have rather died by the raging sea itself then get eaten alive by a giant sea creature.
Does it feel like you’ve done nothing but obey everything that God has told you to do… and yet you find yourself in an even bigger mess than you were before? Maybe your friends start mocking you… what good your God has done, it seems like he has only made things worse.
Job 2:8-10 And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal and he sat down among his ashes. Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.
But just like Job when everything was taken from him even when he felt he was doing everything right unto God, he is merely testing you to see if you still have to believe in him even when things are going on a downward spiral. It’s easy to trust God when everything is going right… but it’s not easy when everything is going wrong.
For though all you see is a dark black pit that seems to swallow you up and spell your end. God is merely thrusting you into a place noone has ever been before and he is giving you a testimony that can reach many people to the Lord. For out of seemingly hopeless circumstances, God can work miracles, where people can look at you and they can’t deny that your God is the only true and living God. So what miracles does he have in store for you? Well I will say stay tuned to see what miracles God has in store for Jonah!
This chapter talks about how Jonah was sound asleep in a storm that was so violent it was about to break the ship into pieces. It makes you wonder, how would this be possible? Was he so numb to God’s call or so far gone into his own will? We have to be careful and let the Lord guide us to do his will, not our own. As we can see in this chapter, our choices can touch other lives….for the good or the bad??? Lord help us to be positive stepping stones towards you.
Do we really think twice about the decisions we’re about to make? God have you a brain, use it! Only stupid results come from stupid decisions. What you say, what you do is always being watched by someone else creating a chain reaction (your actions effect everyone around you!) think twice and pray before you make vast decisions