Scripture: Jonah 1:10-11 This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.)
The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?”
Devotion: The sailors on the boat with Jonah were terrified. To begin, they were scared because of the storm. Their boat was being tossed around on the waves, potentially breaking apart at any minute. Then Jonah told them the God he worships is the God of the land and sea… and that he was running away from the Lord. Now they were truly terrified. They saw the punishment meant for Jonah staring them in the face. They were afraid and willing to try anything to stop the storm.
Now, often when the Lord is trying to redirect us, it doesn’t come in the form a major storm that will literally shipwreck us. But, like the story about Jonah, those around us can be impacted by the decisions that we make. In fleeing from God, the sailors on the same boat as Jonah have to deal with the storm. They also help (unbeknownst to them) Jonah recognize the punishment and that running from God isn’t going to work.
In our life, we often have people much like this. Through our good decisions and our bad decisions, we impact others. Sometimes they are tossed about on the waves with us. Sometimes they are on a smooth sea with us. And sometimes they encourage us to turn things around when we are heading in the wrong direction.
Thankfully for Jonah, the people with him recognized that the storm was coming from God and reminded him of that very thing. Their question, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?” showed this. They knew that he was running from God and that his God was the Lord of the land and sea. Therefore, it made sense that Jonah’s disobedience was the issue. And they pointed that out to him when they asked this question.
Hopefully, when people do this for you in your own life, it is a little kinder than how the sailors did it. But at the same time, it is important for us to have a community of people around us that will ride the waves with us, pointing us back to God in every situation.
Reflect:
- How have some of your decisions impacted other people?
- Who are the people in your life that help point you back to God when you are feeling lost?