January 16th, 2021

Jonah 1:7-10   And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.  Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?”  And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”  Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.

The Big Picture

The mariners/sailors finally ask Jonah to identify himself and when he does, they realized Jonah had been running from the presence of the LORD.  By all appearances, Jonah could probably be labeled an immature Christian or at least a shallow Christian…one who lacks a depth of faith, trust and character.  “Shallow Christian identities explain why professing Christians can be racists and greedy materialists, addicted to beauty and pleasure, or filled with anxiety and prone to overwork.  All this comes because it is not Christ’s love bu the world’s power, approval, comfort, and control that are the real roots of our self-identity” (Keller, p51).  Just as you get into the heart of the story, we begin to see Jonah’s desperate need for the mercy of God and yet it’s the mercy of God that Jonah is unwilling to bring to the people of Nineveh.

How To Pray

• Pray for any “prodigal” whom you may know who is running away from God. Pray for them by name asking God to intervene to draw the prodigal back to God.

• Pray for any families you may know that are experiencing the pain of a prodigal child (no matter the age)

• Pray that you and I would live as sons & daughters of the King consistently as we battle the fiery arrows of the Evil One fully vested in the Armor of God.