Jonah 2:1- 2, 10:
“Now the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish for 3 days and 3 nights. From inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. He said: In my distress, I called to the LORD, and He answered me.”
“And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.”
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a storm is a violent atmospheric disturbance with strong winds, rain, or thunder. So, a storm disturbs things and causes chaos. There are many types of storms, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, etc., which are often called physical storms.
We also experience emotional, mental, social, financial, and political storms. This is where we face heartbreaks, rejections, betrayals, divorce, etc. So, storms are everywhere, and each of us is going through some storm! However, we must remember that God is also the God of the storms.
Jonah chapter one, puts us right in the middle of a chaotic situation. It says Jonah and other people on a boat were facing a storm simply because he resisted God.
God told Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh to preach against it because He wanted to judge the people for their wickedness, but Jonah didn’t want to go.
Some commentators said it was because Jonah was afraid of being ridiculed or attacked by them. I disagree, because in chapter 4, Jonah said exactly why he didn’t want to go. And it is because he knew God would have compassion on these wicked people. So, instead of going to Nineveh, Jonah fled from God and headed to Tarshish.
Therefore, God sent an unexpected storm to get Jonah’s attention and to remind him that He is God. So, everyone is about to perish on that boat because of the disobedience of one man.
Now, we must remember that people back then used to be very cautious about not upsetting their gods. So, whenever they faced a storm or experienced something out of their control, they believed it was because their gods were upset, and they had to find a way to appease them.
So, they cast lots to know who was responsible for this calamity. They found out it was Jonah and wanted to know who his God was. Jonah told the people he worshipped the God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land. However, as a prophet of God, Jonah still had a limited understanding of the God he served. He knew that God was the God who made the sea, but he had no clue that God was also the God of the storms.
So, is it possible to have a limited understanding of God when we think we know all about Him? Chapter One shows how God used the storm to reveal Himself to His prophet and the people. Jonah tried to fix the problem. And instead of seeking God’s help, he asked the people to throw him into the sea to stop the storm.
Since God wasn’t limited to Jonah’s decision, He provided a great fish to swallow him. And now, Jonah found himself in another unexpected storm for 3 days and 3 nights, which was in the belly of a great fish.
Have you ever been in a season where you experience storm after storm? Jonah just dealt with a physical storm and now faces an emotional and mental storm.
Many English Bible versions say it was a “huge fish.” However, Matthew 12:40, in the King James Version, says that Jonah was inside a “whale.” If that’s the truth, it is important to know that whales don’t eat humans. They only eat small fish because their throats are not large enough.
Therefore, Jonah was in a weird spot. He was in this dark and uncomfortable place; his back was against the wall, and all he could see around him was probably fish bones.
Now, what do you do when you find yourself in such a terrible situation, a storm that you were unprepared for because you didn’t see it coming?
No matter how crazy Jonah was and despite his mistakes, we can still learn from him. Jonah didn’t allow the storm, the guilt, and the shame to cripple him and reject God.
So, there are three steps we can learn from Jonah to survive unexpected storms:
- #1 Call Upon the True God
Whenever there is a storm, actions are required. The same is true for the personal storms in our lives. Usually, when facing a physical storm, we pay attention to fallen trees, wear proper clothing, seek shelter, and most importantly, stay informed.
These people on the boat had to call on the true God for the raging sea to calm down. They tried to call upon false gods, but the raging sea didn’t calm down until they called upon the true God.
Today, the world offers many temporary shelters for the storms in our lives, such as drugs, alcohol, sex, money, power, fame, and co-dependency. However, none of these things can calm the storms in our lives because the world cannot do what only God can do. Jonah may have missed it the first time, but the second time, Jonah cried to God right in the middle of the storm. And, in verse 10, the Lord commanded the fish to vomit him onto dry land.
- #2 Speak ‘Life’ to the Storms
Because Jonah believed in God’s unlimited power, he could speak life to the storm. Jonah didn’t face the storm feeling defeated, but he prayed and fasted for 3 days and 3 nights. In chapter 2:9, Jonah said, “I will say salvation comes from the Lord,” which means that Jonah believed in God for his deliverance. So, it is vital to speak ‘life’ into our situations. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
- #3 Praise and worship God through the Storms
Usually, a storm gradually dies down. Jonah could have started praying on day 1 and quit because nothing happened. However, he kept praising God to stay connected. He trusted God and started remembering His goodness. Having an attitude of praise and worship in a storm tells God that you remember what He has done in the past, and you believe He can do it again. Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is always close to the brokenhearted and saves those crushed in spirit.”
In conclusion, we live in times when everyone is facing a storm. Whether it’s sicknesses, heartbreaks, rejections, betrayals, or depression. Everyone is going through something. I don’t know the storms you are facing. Your storms may not be mine. Maybe your storms are not even around you but within you. Perhaps you are dealing with things no one knows about. You feel tired, defeated, depressed, anxious, with headaches and many sleepless nights; you are facing storms that you didn’t plan for.
I want to remind you that God is also the God of these storms, and there is always a way out with God. That’s why I want to encourage you and me, regardless of the storms, to create the time to call upon the true God, to speak life to our storms, and to praise and worship God through it all.
May you find rest and peace as God lovingly takes you from your storms to calm and green pastures.
May God Bless You!
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