Jonah 1:15 NLT -Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once!
By Andrew Williams
Good morning fellow disciples.
Did you ever make the conscious decision not to obey God? How did that turn out for you and others in your life?
Jonah got a message from God to give to the enemies of Israel. Jonah, however, did not want to give this message to them because he knew that God was a forgiving God, and He would forgive them of their sins. He decided to run away from God and to go in the opposite direction from which God was sending him. He chose to run away on a ship and this decision changed the lives of everyone on that ship.
When we read Jonah Chapter one, we tend to focus on the fact that the people on the ship lost all that they were transporting. However, I love to focus on the fact that these people got to see who God was.
Even though Jonah was trying to run away from God, and he was hiding who he was from the persons on the ship, he had to confess who he was and what he was doing when they asked him. To save their lives, Jonah told them to sacrifice him by throwing him into the sea, however, they did not want to do that. They tried everything they could to keep that from happening. However, they finally submitted to Jonah’s request and threw him overboard.
When they did, the storm that was threatening to capsize the ship suddenly ceased. It was then that they acknowledged how great God was and made sacrifices to Him.
Jonah 1:16 NLT – The sailors were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him.
Even when you have backslidden, or when you are running away from God, God can still use your life and your testimony to bring others to Him. God does not change! He can use both your obedience and your disobedience to show forth His good character.
How will you choose to allow God to use you today?
Will you choose to be obedient to him or to be disobedient?
Prayer: Father God, use me to change the lives of others. Amen.