Have you ever tried to run away from God? Then perhaps you can relate, at least in part, to the experience of the prophet Jonah.
God had a special mission in mind for Jonah. He wanted to send the prophet to the great city of Nineveh, to preach against it for its wickedness. Jonah, however, had other ideas. Instead of heading to Nineveh as he was supposed to, Jonah slipped on board a ship heading to Tarshish - which was in the opposite direction!
We learn something about God in the Book of Jonah - you can't get away from Him! Jonah may have thought he was safe at sea and that the God of Israel couldn't find him there. But he was wrong.
"The Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and such a mighty storm came upon the sea that the ship threatened to break up" (vs. 4). God sent a storm to disrupt the plans of His wayward prophet. The storm was extremely fierce. In terror, the sailors prayed to their gods and threw over the cargo. Jonah, meanwhile, was down below, asleep.
The sailors perceived that the storm was of divine origin, so they cast lots to see who was responsible for incurring the wrath of a god upon them. The lot fell to Jonah. He confessed that he was fleeing from the God of Israel, who made the sea and the dry land. Jonah told the sailors that they could save themselves by throwing him into the sea.
Although the sailors tried to avoid it, they were left with no choice but to do as Jonah suggested. They prayed to his God, that they might not be held responsible for his death. When they threw Jonah overboard, the storm ceased. This made the men fear the Lord even more, and they offered sacrifices and vows to Him.
And what of Jonah? He was swallowed by a "large fish" and spent three days and three nights in its belly.
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