Wake Up Sleeping Prophet!
The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep?
Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice
of us so that we will not perish.” Jonah 1:6
As a child, the fear of the Lord was so great, that I was often afraid to close my eyes. I knew my deeds and behavior has been so detestable in His sight, that I deserved death. Some night, I would lay in bed, and use the assistance of the ceiling to keep me awake. Focusing on a spot, seemed to work! I knew God had to power to give and take life, and foolishly, I believed I could thwart His plan by avoiding sleep.
Of course it was amazing to me that Jonah was sleeping so peacefully during a storm. He is clearly not the Christ, in nature, or in action. He is being disobedient, and running away from God’s presence; refusing to carry out his purpose, and is in a deep sleep. Deep sleep is known as the best sleep. It’s the most restorative and refreshing. How can the man of God sleep so peacefully in the midst of disobedience?
While Jonah is resting and being refreshed, the sailors and the captain of the ship are experiencing turmoil. As experienced sailors, they had already mapped our their journey, taking into consideration the latest studies and knowledge of the weather systems. They set course for their destination, adding to their cargo what should be easy money; Jonah.
The ship upon departure is met with a storm. The text says that God “hurled” a “great wind” on the sea. And while this might be considered unfair, one must see the mercy and grace in that the sea was the target and not the ship. God in essence decided to rock the boat! Our friend being sleep, allowed the winds and waves to impact the boat in a more challenging and dangerous fashion. The more he slept, the more the winds blew. The more he slept, the higher the waves grew.
How High are the Waves around You?
Could it be that our sleep and indifference towards our God and our purpose is causing those around us and or attached to us to feel the trauma of our disobedience? Here God is using every tool to get Jonah attention, and his deaf ears towards the Lord are causing his fellow shipmates to suffer.
How long will you wait?
The text says that the the ship was about to break up. Their lives are flashing before their eyes. The storm is going to swallow up the ship first, and the sailors next. What once represented safety and security, now was vulnerable as it faced God’s storm. The ship was also their livelihood; a resource/tools of captain and sailors used to garner provision. The disobedience of Jonah not only allows the people of Nineveh to remain in sin, but now threatens to take the livelihood of those who are providing a service to the community and a life for their families. And with all this going on, Jonah is Sleep!
Sleeping; Are We?
Here we find our first question. It is spoken to Jonah by the Captain of the ship; “How is it that you are sleeping?” The Captain is watching the ship starting to break and knows that he and the others will soon follow. He stands over Jonah, who is getting the best sleep of his life, and ask Him “How is it that you are sleeping?”
Man/Woman of God, I think God is asking us the same question. How is it that we are resting peacefully when we see the world around us in calamity. We see the people in our church in direct rebellion to the Lord. We see sin rampant among our leaders, and stagnation and strongholds evident in our pews. How is it that we can sleep, knowing that God’s wrath is coming to those who stand against Him? Worse, how can we withhold the Word from those who are getting ready to face God’s wrath? How can we preach messes that stroke our egos, knowing that that ax is at the root of our constituents?
The captain was shocked! It was as though this man didn’t fear the Lord or know that death was looming. It was as though He was so satisfied with disobedience, that the lives of all those in question were of no concern. It was as though he hated the people of Nineveh so greatly, that he would rather die with them than to see them live. How could this man of God be so disconnected from what was transpiring around him?
Disobedience affects Everyone!
Sadly, Jonah isn’t even aware of how his disobedience affects those around him, and sadly neither do we. S Our punishment and affects or our disobedience are sometimes felt in next generation or manifest themselves (as seen) in the lives of those who need us to be properly aligned with God. Are you to unaware?
Jonah doesn’t see the sailors and captain throwing over cargo, but they were forced to sacrifice their profit because of the disobedience of the Prophet. The wind of God was set against the ship, not because they were non believers, but because the believer refused to carry our his purpose.
The text says they all cried out to their gods. The emphasis is on “s” and in plural. These men were all of different faiths, serving different gods, but working together for an economic cause. And while they remained in favor with their non-living god, Jonah existed in rebellion with the true and living God. The sailors begged their gods to no avail, and realized there was one more aboard the ship that had yet to speak or sacrifice cargo; Jonah.
Get Up Man of God!
Thankfully and shamefully, The Captain on the ship approaches Jonah and speaks the very words Jonah needs to here. Mind you, as Prophet, Jonah is to deliver messages to the people that turn their hearts back to God, and also introduce their hearts to God, and here Jonah is receiving a word from a non believer. The Captain says, “Get up…” Rise from your sleep. Shake off last nights or last years slumber and get up. Stand erect. Stop laying down on the job and sleep walking through your assignment! Take Your Place. Speak and Stand for Truth! Change the lives of those around you by sharing the Word. “Get up!”
But don’t just “Get Up”, the captain says “Call on your god”. I love that the captain says “god” and his generic thought, caused the writer not to capitalize the the “G” in “God”. He didn’t believe in Yahweh, but he was in need of a way! He had tried what he knew, spoke to who he trusted, asked for help in whom he believed in, and now was open to receiving help and to changing his life. There will be some people we encounter on our journey that are like this captain. People that enjoy the feeling of being in control over their life and destination, until a storm brews and performs. It’s then that we must be able to speak for the truth of God that lives will not only be spared, but saved.
How ironic it is that Jonah is fleeing from God’s presence, and an unbeliever begs him to “call on your god!” Man/Woman of God, don’t just get up, but cry out! Don’t just cry out, cry out to your God. Enter back into His presence. Resume your intimate relationship with Him. Don’t remain in rebellion. Cry out to Him! Seek His face. Don’t leave until He speaks, and then be obedient to what He says. Stop running from your assignment. it and those with you are waiting on your compliance, for it will bring peace to everyone you encounter. Peace walks hand and hand with you, and destruction is sent to the places that don’t heed your warning.
I am praying that this year, the bottom of the boat is empty or if it is occupied, it is by the prostrate or bowed back of a Prophet on His/Her knees or face crying out to the living God to spare the life of His creation! I am praying that those above the water line, experience the peace of having the Man/Woman of God in agreement and not disobedience, so that the seas may remain calm, and out travel and prosperity wont be affected.
#PastorJDO3
