So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.

The Prophet Jonah had a calling. The Lord told him to “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me,” (Jonah 1:2). Jonah, however, didn’t want to go. The people of Nineveh were the enemies of Jonah’s people, the Northern kingdom of Israel. He knew that the Lord was a merciful God, and he knew that if the Ninevites repented of their sin the Lord would spare them—the last thing in the world he wanted.

Jonah, consequently, fled from the presence of the Lord and boarded a ship bound for Tarshish. In response, the Lord “hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up,” (Jonah 1:4). The mariners did everything they could to save the ship, but nothing worked. So, they cast lots to see who was responsible for the storm, and the lot fell to Jonah. When they asked him what they should do, Jonah told them to “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you,” (Jonah 1:12).

There are still Jonahs in the world. That is, there are still people that have been called by the Lord to do something, but, for one reason or another, refuse to obey the calling. Instead, they board their own personal version of the ship bound for Tarshish and they do what they want to do instead of what the Lord wants them to do. Perhaps some self-examination is called for here. Are you trying to flee from the leading and guiding presence of the Lord?

God still uses practical circumstances to direct and redirect His servants. The church still needs to watch out for the Jonahs of the world. As was the case in Jonah’s story, God can send trouble to push His wayward people back to the narrow way. Is your resistance to God making waves for your family, church, or workplace?

As God to help you examine your heart, repent if necessary, and continue on to Nineveh.

By John Huisman, Friend of Bible League International