Jonah is asleep at the bottom of the ship when the Lord sends a violent storm. The ship is taking on water, the Bible says the boat is beginning to break up. The sailors all believe they’re going to die. They’re each praying to their own gods. These are not Israelite sailors–these are pagans. Idol worshipers. Foreigners. From different countries with different customs and cultures and languages. And they’re scared to death.

They go downstairs and wake up Jonah. We drew straws! We cast lots! We rolled the dice! We shook up the Magic 8-Ball! And it all points to you, Jonah! What’s the deal? Who are you? 

And Jonah, in the middle of the storm, in the middle of the turmoil and chaos, in the middle of the anxiety and fear, in the middle of a foreign mission field on board a pagan ship, says,

“I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.” ~Jonah 1:9

The Scripture says this terrified the sailors even more. What, are you crazy? You’re running away from the God who created the sea, ON THE SEA?!? Who does that?? We’re all dead!!

Here’s what I see in the first chapter of Jonah. The runaway prophet confessed God as Lord, and that’s all it took to save these pagan sailors.

Jonah confesses the Lord out loud to these frightened men. They reluctantly act on Jonah’s instructions, they throw him overboard. And they call on the name of the Lord. They beg the Lord for forgiveness. And when the storm immediately goes away and the sea immediately grows calm, they greatly fear the Lord. They revere the Lord. They’re in awe of the Lord. They’re moved. And they worship the Lord. They offer sacrifices to God and they make vows, they make commitments to God right there on the spot. Jonah confessed the Lord to these pagan sailors. And the sailors saw God. They experienced God’s salvation. And their lives were forever changed.

Hear me on this. The world is not closed to our witness. Even if it’s a weak witness. The world is open.

I imagine when Jonah first payed his fare and boarded that ship, he never dreamed of talking to those sailors about God. They would never listen. Those are some rough dudes. I can’t relate to these guys. Those kinds of people aren’t interested in God. And Jonah goes downstairs to take a nap. But the truth in the next parts of the story tell us that the world is open to our confession. Even when it’s weak.

Our world is in crisis. The world we live in right now is desperate, it’s hopeless. People in Midland are searching for truth. People all around you are dying for something to believe in, something stable and secure to hold on to. People all over the world are rolling the dice, casting lots, drawing straws, shaking the Magic 8-Ball, looking, looking, looking, for answers. Looking for help. And they’re mostly wide open to the truth if we’ll just confess it in front of them.

The sailors were not looking for this witness. They weren’t looking for Jonah’s confession of faith, they weren’t looking for the Creator of Heaven and Earth, they didn’t know what they were looking for. But through Jonah’s witness, as weak as it maybe was, they encountered our God and experienced his salvation from the storm. They acknowledged their helplessness. They realized the futility of rowing against the storm by themselves. And they believed in the Word of God and they acted on it. And they worshiped him.

Open your mouth and confess God as Lord in front of non-believers. The people around you are open.

Peace,
Allan