This post is Day 3 in a series of studies about “Jonah”. I strongly suggest you begin with the introduction to this study, please click here to read it.

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Jonah – Day 3

God uses storms for His purposes. In this case He used it to reveal Himself to the sailors. Each of them called on his own god, who did nothing. That was because Almighty God was in charge of this situation, and nothing could, or ever can, get in His way.

Jonah 1:4-5

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.

The Thought

There are several Biblical stories of storms, and each one is used by the Lord to tell its own message. If we try to run away from Father God as Jonah did, we can expect a storm to come our way. The storms we pass through don’t just affect our own personal lives, but those of others too. Jonah’s rebellion caused everyone else on the ship to fear for their lives, but it also caused the other sailors to recognize the power of “the God of Heaven” (Jonah 1:9).

God uses storms for His purposes. In this case He used it to reveal Himself to the sailors. Each of them called on his own god, who did nothing for them. That was because The Almighty God was in charge of this situation, and nothing could, or ever can, get in His way.

Another result of Jonah’s rebellion was the lost cargo. Who had to pay for that I wonder? What were the consequences of the lost merchandise? Maybe we will never know, but the lesson here is that one person’s rebellion has an effect far bigger than most of us will ever know.

Action

Think today about who you call on when you are hit by the storms of life? What would you “throw overboard” if you felt you were going to drown?

Praise God for His storms designed to bring us back to Him and fulfill His purposes for our lives.

Pray for those who are going through difficult times at the moment, that they will get rid of unnecessary “cargo” and meet the living God.

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