Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up" (Jonah 1:4).
Jonah boarded the ship and heaved a sigh of relief. He'd done it! He ran away from God, and God didn't stop him. There was no way he was going to those dreaded Assyrians in Nineveh. If God wanted to send those terrorists a message, well He could find someone else to deliver it.
Jonah stood on the bow and watched as the city of Joppa faded into the distance. He loved the feeling of wind on his face. It was a beautiful evening. The clouds were full of rich color as the sun set into the Mediterranean Sea. He could smell dinner being prepared in the galley. He would be eating at the captain's table. This was the life! Then he turned his attention to the black clouds forming to the north. "I think we're in for a storm," said one of the sailors behind him.
A pang of fear stabbed him. Was this the moment when Jonah began to suspect that he was in trouble?
We can run from God, but we can't hide.
One of the messages clearly communicated throughout the book of Jonah is God's sovereignty over nature.
"The Lord sent a great wind" (1:4).
"The Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah" (1:17).
"The Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land" (2:10).
"God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah" (4:6).
"God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered" (4:7).
"God provided a scorching east wind" (4:8).
God has total control over nature. God's creation knows God's voice and obeys His commands. He spoke to the fish because the fish wouldn't argue with Him. Creation is God's tool to get Jonah back on the right track.
God didn't send a storm to pester Jonah but to save Nineveh.
Jonah boarded the ship and heaved a sigh of relief. He'd done it! He ran away from God, and God didn't stop him. There was no way he was going to those dreaded Assyrians in Nineveh. If God wanted to send those terrorists a message, well He could find someone else to deliver it.
Jonah stood on the bow and watched as the city of Joppa faded into the distance. He loved the feeling of wind on his face. It was a beautiful evening. The clouds were full of rich color as the sun set into the Mediterranean Sea. He could smell dinner being prepared in the galley. He would be eating at the captain's table. This was the life! Then he turned his attention to the black clouds forming to the north. "I think we're in for a storm," said one of the sailors behind him.
A pang of fear stabbed him. Was this the moment when Jonah began to suspect that he was in trouble?
We can run from God, but we can't hide.
One of the messages clearly communicated throughout the book of Jonah is God's sovereignty over nature.
"The Lord sent a great wind" (1:4).
"The Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah" (1:17).
"The Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land" (2:10).
"God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah" (4:6).
"God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered" (4:7).
"God provided a scorching east wind" (4:8).
God has total control over nature. God's creation knows God's voice and obeys His commands. He spoke to the fish because the fish wouldn't argue with Him. Creation is God's tool to get Jonah back on the right track.
God didn't send a storm to pester Jonah but to save Nineveh.
