Jonah, the Runaway Prophet

But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord. Jonah 1:3 (NIV)

Today we start a 4 week devotional series on Jonah by looking at Jonah Chapter One, which you can read HERE. (Did you know that there are only 48 verses in the whole book of Jonah?)

The year was 1977, I was 14, and the Movie was Star Wars. I did not see very much of the movie that night. My friend Carol and I had been dropped off in front of the movie theater to see the much anticipated new film about outer space.

We bought our Dr. Pepper’s and started mingling with our friends in the lobby. Before I knew it, a couple of girls approached us and were kind enough to offer us a cigarette. (In 1977 you could smoke in the theater lobby.)

I had never tried smoking before and I was terrified. I was not scared of doing something wrong, or of disappointing God. That was not even a thought in my head. I was afraid of looking stupid for not knowing how to smoke. How ridiculous was that!

A runaway Prophet!

In the first chapter of Jonah, we meet someone else who was also afraid to stand up for what he knew was right and instead did the opposite of what God had asked him to do. God asked Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach against their wickedness. Instead, he ran away.

Jonah does not even consider obeying God. There was no way he was going to confront the evil Ninevites who did not deserve God’s compassion or mercy. So, he boards the first boat out of town to Tarshish, a city very far away in the opposite direction.

Have you ever run away from God?

Just like Jonah, I choose a path in direct disobedience to God and thrust myself into a completely wrong way of life. As you may have guessed, I got over my fear of looking stupid and started smoking that night.

While Luke Skywalker joined forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee, and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire’s world-destroying battle station, I lit up my path of destruction and joined forces with evil.

Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. 1 Peter 5:8 (MSG)

Jonah messes up again in his runaway attempt on the boat to Tarshish. He falls asleep on the ship and a storm swells, causing problems for everyone on board.

Do we ever sleep in our sin, oblivious to what chaos it causes around us?

My smoking has caused pain for my family. Not only was it disrespectful to my parents, but it caused me to hang out with a wrong group in school, which lead to other addictions and problems. It created a storm in my life that lasted for many, many years.

Luckily Jonah realizes the storm is because of him and he admits to his fellow sailors that he is the reason God has brought about such a violent storm.

God is in control, has the power and will carry out his plans!

Don’t you love how God will do anything to complete His plans? The Lord’s plan was about more than Jonah serving outside of his comfort zone to confront evil.

Jonah does the right thing and tells the ship’s crew to throw him into the sea so God will quiet the storm.

God uses even Jonah’s disobedience to bring about his eternal purposes for the crew-members. Upon seeing the power of the Lord, they made vows to follow God!

At this, the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him. Jonah 1:16 (NIV)

Even the winds and the waves obey him, why shouldn’t I?

After many years of smoking and disobeying the Lord, I was able to quit. The storms still threaten occasionally, and I continue to face the decision I made on the opening night of Star Wars, but praise be to God, I have not gone back to the dark side!

Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Jonah 1:17 (NIV)

Heavenly Father who chases us when we run, forgive me for my disobedience. I pray I realize running is futile and turn back in obedience before the storms hit. Thank you for your continual mercy in my life. Praise be to the God of mercy and compassion. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Come back next week to see what to do if you find yourself in the belly of a whale!

(Originally posted in May 2019)