God's Accomplishments in our Storms

“Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god.” (Jonah 1:5 ESV) “Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.” (Jonah 1:16 ESV)“Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish,” (Jonah 2:1 ESV)

I believe that the Lord always accomplishes more than one thing in everything that He does. Such is the case in this fierce storm that was threatening the lives of Jonah and his shipmates.

As is the case with most of life's storms, God brought this storm in order to teach men about Himself. It is very obvious from 1:5, that Jonah's shipmates had a theological problem. They believed that there was more than one true God, hence when they became afraid, "each cried out to his god." It is interesting to note that their crying out made no difference in the intensity of their storm. It wasn't a problem with their passion, rather it was a problem with their theology. But in and through this storm, their theology was corrected. By verse 16, they were no longer crying out to their gods, but were rather fearing the one true God, offering Him worship, and making vows to Him. Thus God used this storm to deliver idol worshipers from their idolatry, and bring them into a relationship of worship with Himself.

But these shipmates were not the only ones who needed a correction in their theology. Jonah thought that He could run from the presence of God. (v.3). How foolish to think that a geographical change, would result in an escape from God! In Jonah's case it would take something more dramatic than a life threatening storm to bring him to repentance. It would take being cast into a stormy sea, and then being swallowed by a great fish. Once in the belly of the great fish, Jonah's theology was corrected, and he realized that even there, the Presence of the Lord that He he had been trying to escape, became the only comfort that he had. He cried out to God, and was delivered to fulfill the assignment that He had been given.

May we remember that our storms are never without purpose. God brings them in our lives to accomplish many things, not the least of which is teaching us something about Himself.

"Dear Lord, Thank you for the storms that you have brought in to our lives. Thank you that they are indeed evidences of your mercy to us, in showing us our wrong thinking about you. Help us to learn what we need to learn, and change what needs to be changed through these difficult times."