The Wind – Part 1

The Old Testament book of Jonah has always been one of my favorite parts of Scripture. The book of Jonah is so rich, so layered, each time I read it, there’s always something new. Some nuance, a deeper message, hits me each time. Jonah was a prophet of God. His words caused folks to turn from their evil ways and repent…Jonah served God in a mighty way
Jonah, however, was a whiner.

When God told Jonah to go to Ninevah, Jonah said “Nope.” He, in fact, boarded a ship in the opposite direction. He wanted to get as far away as possible. He whined…”Those people in Ninevah are horrible…why would I ever minister to them?”

Instead of going to Nineveh, Jonah found some new friends and climbed aboard their ship. He fell in with the wrong crowd. He got on board with this group literally and figuratively and set sail. Jonah, then, received an “Attitude Correction” in the form of a great storm. The wind was so great, the sailors believed someone on the the ship, whose name rhymed with Mona, had brought down the judgement of God. (They weren’t wrong.) So did Jonah’s new buddies try to help? No…they kicked him out of the group. They didn’t offer help. These fair-weather friends went a bit overboard when they abandoned Jonah to sink or swim. These guys just left, but doesn’t that always happen? You think people will stick by you, understand you, after all you’re all in the same boat, right? But as soon as you have a storm in your life, you’re a pariah. You’re left treading water. You’re in too deep. Waves keep crashing over you, and you don’t know if the next one will be the one that pulls you under. Remember this: God is there. He was there in the storm waiting for Jonah. And guess what— He’s there for you. God is there in the most turbulent time, when you’re adrift, when you feel like you’re about to drown…physically and spiritually, God is there and He can walk on water and calm the storm.