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January 14th, 2021

Jonah 1:3b-4 “He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish.  So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD.  But 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.”

The Big Picture

Jonah runs but God won’t let him.  God “hurled” a great wind.  The word “hurled” is used often in the Old Testament for launching a weapon, a spear.  What a statement and event that took place because of Jonah’s disobedience.  “The Bible doesn’t say that every difficulty is the result of sin—but it does teach that every sin will bring you into difficulty.” (Keller, p23).  It’s pretty easy to see that the storm is a consequence to Jonah’s sin, but even in the midst of the storm one of God’s greatest promises is still intact.  God promises to use all things, including storms, together for good (Romans 8:28).  The men who experienced the consequence of Jonah’s sin by simply being on the boat with him, gave their allegiance to the LORD.  Rarely does our sin just affect us individually, but God can use consequences to bring people far from Him to Him.

How To Pray

  • Are you experiencing a “storm”? The first thing to do is to pray and ask God to reveal if there is any sin that may be hidden in your life. The second thing to do is acknowledge that the storm MIGHT BE because of unconfessed sin in your life.

  • Are you experiencing the repercussions of the sin of someone else? Call our to God and ask for peace. Spend some time in worship today asking God to use it for good.

  • Pray for our Celebrate Recovery ministry here at Pontiac Bible Church and Celebrate Recovery Inside at the prison as these ministries aim to help people out of the storms and into peaceful waters.