Take your Bibles and open them to Jonah 1. In chapter 1, Jonah received a word from God. God told Jonah what he wanted him to do. Jonah responded with disobedience. He didn’t want to do it. Instead of obeying God, he rebelled against God. He decided to run from God. Jonah went the opposite direction that God wanted him to go. Jonah knew better. God had used him throughout his life, but Jonah was now running from God’s purpose and mission for his life. He had found a ship that would take him to Tarshish, the furthest place away from Joppa known to them at the time. While out on the sea, God sent a violent storm upon Jonah. The sailors became very afraid and started praying to their gods for help. They started casting the cargo overboard to lighten the ship. They woke Jonah up and cast lots to see who was the cause of this catastrophe. The lots pointed to Jonah. He was the reason why the storm was occurring. The crew asked Jonah what they should do with him. He told them, “Throw me into the sea, and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.” The sailors could not make themselves do this so they tried to save Jonah, the ship and themselves by rowing even harder to dry land, but the harder the rowed the more violent the storm became. We pick up the story at this point in verse 14.
Verse 14
Look at what God’s Word tells us in verse 14, Then they cried out to the Lord and said, “We earnestly pray, O Lord, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life, and do not put innocent blood on us; for You, Lord, have done as You pleased.” This is amazing to me. These pagans who believed in many gods and often prayed to these gods, for the first time in their life they cried out to the one true God and they called Him “Lord.” As a matter of fact, they called Him, Lord, twice! I don’t understand everything about their prayer, but I do know they called on the Lord and they acknowledged that He is in complete control when they said, You, Lord, have done as You pleased. I don’t know how these men got there so quick, but they saw the hand of a sovereign God at work. For the first time in their life, they encountered the one true God!
This is what storms will do for you! Regardless of how the storm came about or why the storm existed, the storms of life will cause you to cry out to the one true God! Even those who don’t believe in God, when their life becomes desperate will often call on the one in whom they did not believe. Why? Because down deep within us, God created us to need to him and when we need him, we naturally cry out to Him. Storms in life will often do that to you.
The sailors cried out to Him who they called Lord. This reminds me of what the prophet Joel had promised that “whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered” (Joel 3:32), and this promise was later repeated and applied to eternal salvation through Christ by Peter (Acts 2:21) and by Paul (Rom. 10:13). The pagan sailors, therefore, not only were saved from death in the raging waters but (it is reasonable to believe) from something much greater when they trusted in the true Creator God.
You may be like the sailors today. You find yourself in a storm. A relationship storm with someone in your life. An emotional storm within yourself. A mental storm where your mind can’t seem to shut off. A physical storm dealing with a major health issue. You are in a storm that deals with you or someone else, but either way you are in a storm and this storm is calling you to talk to God like you have never talked to Him before. That’s what storms do. This brings us to verse 15.
Verse 15
As much as they regretted having to do it, they made a very tough decision. Verse 15 says, So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging.
Think about this. They pick up Jonah and throw him overboard into the sea and immediately the raging sea becomes calm. Sadly, there are some people that once they are out of your life, peace and calmness returns to your life. The storm around them is because of them. The storm around you is because of them. The storm within you is also because of them. They have run from God and God has sent this storm to get their attention. And when you are in their life you will be in their storm.
Some people will refuse to do what’s right. They will continue to disobey God, be stubborn, rebellious, and continue to create anxiety in their own life and in your life.
Jonah was unwilling to change, unwilling to repent, unwilling to make it right. He had told them what to do, so out of desperation they did it. They threw Jonah overboard. As soon as they threw Jonah overboard the sea stopped its raging. Jonah was gone and the storm went with him.
Verse 16
This takes us to verse 16, Then the men became extremely afraid of the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. As soon as Jonah splashed into the water, the sea became calm. The impact of all this deeply impacted Jonah.
According to verse 16, these men did three things.
First, we are told they became extremely afraid of the Lord. Don’t think fear like being afraid of the boogie man or an evil intruder in your home. There fear was one of awe, deep respect, and amazement at the power of God. It’s like when they saw what happened they said, “Wow! Did you see that? That’s incredible! Jonah’s God has some real power! Any God with power like that we should surrender our lives too!” Their perspective of God did a major shift in their heart and mind. This is what can happen when God shows up in the middle of a storm. When he shows up when your life is falling apart, and display his power or intervenes or does something so significant that it can only be explained by God that brings you peace and calmness… that can cause you to have a new perspective on God that is life changing. That’s what happened to these men. Storms have the potential to bring some people closer to God, even if that storm is caused by someone else! God does not waste storms! In this case, these men had their view of God enlarged!
Because of this deep fear and respect of our Mighty God, we are told they offered a sacrifice to the Lord. Offering a sacrifice to the Lord in the Old Testament signifies a deep commitment to God, a desire for atonement, and a recognition of the need for forgiveness. Sacrifices were not just rituals but expressions of devotion, repentance, and a way to seek God’s mercy. They served multiple purposes, including atonement for unintentional sins, expression of gratitude for God’s blessings, and restoration of one’s relationship with God after sin. I have said all that to say that something profound and deep happened in the heart of these men toward God. They saw themselves as sinners and in need of God’s mercy.
But they did not end there. We are told they also made vows to the Lord. Making a vow to God in the Old Testament signifies a sacred promise or commitment made before God, often involving a pledge to perform a specific act or to live in a particular way. These men, their view of God had deepened. They made sacrifices to God because of their sin and wanted mercy. Then they made vows to the Lord promising Him to live a certain way and to honor Him in how they lived out their life. I don’t think these men entered into these vows lightly. I think they took it seriously. The Bible says in Numbers 30:2, “A man who makes a vow to the Lord or makes a pledge under oath must never break it He must do exactly what he said he would do” (NLT).
Jonah is in the water and the sea has calmed down and then verse 17 happens.
Verse 17
And the Lord designated a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish for three days and three nights. God’s provision out of the mess we have made is not always neat and clean. Sometimes God’s mercy is messy. Sometimes God’s mercy can be uncomfortable and difficult and not what you expected. How many times has someone gone through a major illness come out of it realizing what is really important in life? How many times has someone gone to prison and while there got there life put together? This time in the belly of the fish gave Jonah some time to think about things. About himself. About God. About what he was doing. Sometimes “the Lord will designate a great fish to swallow” you up out of His mercy to give you time to think about what God has said to you.
Conclusion
The story of Jonah illustrates God’s mercy even when we are disobedient. It demonstrates a loving God who pursues His people when they are running from Him. God will speak to you, send a storm to get your attention, put people in your life to ask you tough questions, allow people to throw you overboard, and send a great fish to swallow you up in order to get your attention.
I guess my question for you right now is, “What is God using in your life right now in order to try to get your attention and to draw you back into a closer relationship with Him?”
