Storm the Storm!

Based on Jonah 1-4

Many of us are familiar with the story of Jonah...he had to go to the terrible city of Nineveh to bring the message of God's impending judgment if the people didn't repent & change their ways. In reading this, I found that not only did Jonah have to face one storm, being Nineveh, but he also had to face another storm before that! He had to literally be thrown in the sea during a terrible storm...thrown back into God's Will for his life!

"And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you." Jonah 1:12.

Jonah understood why the first storm took place, and he knew it was his fault. This was his storm. A storm that God was using to get Jonah's attention and "reel him back in" to his purpose. He had to face the storm head first, dive in, and get right with God! Then he was kept in the belly of the big fish, where he prayed:

"The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God." Jonah 2:5-6.

"...the earth with her bars was about me forever..." We sometimes feel trapped in life. We don't understand why we are going through something. So, the only way to face it is with God! We must storm the storm, and God will bring up our lives from corruption! The second storm Jonah faced was Nineveh:

"And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee." Jonah 3:1-2.

So, Jonah went on to his purpose: another storm! This next storm was not his, but he had to speak into the storm of that city in order to see the people saved from God's judgment. Jonah didn't feel that the people deserved it, but Jonah didn't deserve God's mercy either! All of us are called to storm some storms! None of us are pre-qualufied! But one amazing quote I've seen is this: God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called! Just stick with God; He will get you through the storms! Don't fight God!

Jonah's anger kept him in a place of resistance to God. This caused God to get Jonah's attention in radical ways until he responded...is God trying to get our attention in some radical way? Are we trying to avoid a storm, or avoid God? Pray about it! As long as you have Jesus, you don't have to be afraid to storm the storm! It might just be what God called you for!