Can Our Obedience Cause Prayer and Praise to God?
“So they said to him, 'What should we do to you that the sea may become calm for us?'—for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy. He said to them, 'Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you.' However, the men rowed desperately to return to land but they could not, for the sea was becoming even stormier against them. Then they called on the Lord and said, 'We earnestly pray, O Lord, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life and do not put innocent blood on us; for You, O Lord, have done as You have pleased.' So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. Then the men feared the Lord greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.” Jonah 1:11-15.
The least expected solution
After Jonah’s confession and explanation for the cause of the storm, the obvious question emerges from the lips of the soaked sailors: “So they said to him, 'What should we do to you that the sea may become calm for us?'—for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy.”
Sometimes in tests and trials, the solution we are given is not the one we expect. God in His mercy will increase the level of the trial, not to make it more difficult, but to remove all options but the one that will work.
So the reluctant prophet is now propelled into the sea of deliverance.
Our obedience, even in trials, can bless others
But today’s take away emphasis is not just on the results of Jonah’s obedience, but on the lives he was affecting in his obedience.
“Then they called on the Lord and said, 'We earnestly pray, O Lord, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life and do not put innocent blood on us; for You, O Lord, have done as You have pleased.' So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. Then the men feared the Lord greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.”
Apparently one of the reoccurring themes of the Word of God is people praying in the midst of a storm. From Jesus and the disciples to Paul in the book of Acts, prayers during violent storms are a common happening. Here are men who were polytheistic suddenly and passionately calling on the God of the Hebrews.
Look at this awesome confession that they make: ”for You, O Lord, have done as You have pleased.” And then they express reverence to the Lord God and even offer sacrifices and make vows.
Therefore child of God, please know that your life was always intended to declare His praise and to touch the lives of others with His presence.
Prayers and blessings,
Pastor Gene
The least expected solution
After Jonah’s confession and explanation for the cause of the storm, the obvious question emerges from the lips of the soaked sailors: “So they said to him, 'What should we do to you that the sea may become calm for us?'—for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy.”
Sometimes in tests and trials, the solution we are given is not the one we expect. God in His mercy will increase the level of the trial, not to make it more difficult, but to remove all options but the one that will work.
So the reluctant prophet is now propelled into the sea of deliverance.
Our obedience, even in trials, can bless others
But today’s take away emphasis is not just on the results of Jonah’s obedience, but on the lives he was affecting in his obedience.
“Then they called on the Lord and said, 'We earnestly pray, O Lord, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life and do not put innocent blood on us; for You, O Lord, have done as You have pleased.' So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. Then the men feared the Lord greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.”
Apparently one of the reoccurring themes of the Word of God is people praying in the midst of a storm. From Jesus and the disciples to Paul in the book of Acts, prayers during violent storms are a common happening. Here are men who were polytheistic suddenly and passionately calling on the God of the Hebrews.
Look at this awesome confession that they make: ”for You, O Lord, have done as You have pleased.” And then they express reverence to the Lord God and even offer sacrifices and make vows.
Therefore child of God, please know that your life was always intended to declare His praise and to touch the lives of others with His presence.
Prayers and blessings,
Pastor Gene
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1 Comment
Thanks Pastor Gene for blessing me with these thoughts today!