Jonah 1:4, 11-17 (NRSV)
Read Jonah 1:4, 11-17 on biblegateway.com
Verse 4But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and such a mighty storm came upon the sea that the ship threatened to break up.
Verse 11Then they said to him, "What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?" For the sea was growing more and more tempestuous. Verse 12He said to them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you; for I know it is because of me that this great storm has come upon you." Verse 13Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring the ship back to land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more stormy against them. Verse 14Then they cried out to the Lord, "Please, O Lord, we pray, do not let us perish on account of this man's life. Do not make us guilty of innocent blood; for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you." Verse 15So they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea; and the sea ceased from its raging. Verse 16Then the men feared the Lord even more, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. Verse 17But the Lord provided a large fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Devotion
In Jonah, the sea is again an instrument of judgment and grace in God's hand. Jonah knows the Lord "made the sea and the dry land" (Jonah 1:9), but foolishly thinks he can escape the Lord by sea. Irony fills Jonah's story. His escape route becomes a death trap. God's control of the stormy sea leads to the conversion of foreign sailors. Their fear of certain destruction is turned into worship of Jonah's God.
On the other hand, Jonah gets a taste of the very judgment he craves for his enemies. He is cast into the raging sea. But then the Lord appoints a big fish to save him. Jonah believes his salvation is a sign of his righteousness, but he discovers he is saved to fulfill the very mission of grace he tried so hard to avoid.
Are we like Jonah, thinking we know just whom the Lord should judge? Are we like the foreign sailors, who recognize God's power and seek to do right? Are we ready to hear God's call to go and be reconciled, even to those we dislike?
Prayer
Lord of the sea, may the storms in our lives bring us to faith.
Amen.