THOUGHT FOR THE WEEKEND
Iam currently preaching through the book of Jonah inchurch,bestknownasthe story about a man who got swallowed by a big fish. It’s a whale of a tale.
God asked the prophet Jonah to go to the infamous city of Ninevah to pronounce judgement, but also allowing them 40 days to repent. However, Jonah ran away, taking a boat 2,500 miles in the opposite direction. It’s not long before “such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up” (1:4).
We all face various storms throughout our lives. I’ve discovered that storms really have four sources.
Some storms are just part of living in a fallen, broken world. Natural disasters and the coronavirus would fall into this category. While some might try, it’s difficult to point the finger and blame anyone for these disruptions and distress.
Some storms come because of other people. In the story of Jonah, a ship full of sailors find themselves in a life-threatening storm through no fault of their own. It is simply because Jonah is on board.
Have you found that some people seem to carry storms with them everywhere they go? Drama and conflict follow them everywhere.
Often, others around them get dragged into the mess, even though it’s nothing to do with them. My advice is to avoid those people as much as possible. Your life will be much more peaceful.
Other times, the storms we face are of our own making. We can try to blame others, or even the devil, but the truth is we brought the turmoil and turbulence upon ourselves. That was the case with Jonah.
His disobedience to God was the cause of the chaos. He eventually even admits it: “I know that it is my fault ...” (v 12).
Finally, some storms come from God. We read in verse 3: “Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea.”
We don’t like to admit it, but, occasionally, when we continue in wilful rebellion against our Maker, He will send a storm into our lives. This storm isn’t designed to hurt us, but to heal us. God isn’t trying to wound us so much as to woo us back to Himself. When everything else is shaken and even taken, then we will hopefully return to Him in repentance and obedience.
If you find yourself in a storm, think about its source. Just maybe, it’s time to stop running and return to the God who loves you so much.