5 The Fearful Mariners Series

# 5 - The Fearful Mariners

Jonah 1:5 - “Then the mariners were afraid…”

The Mariners…

When the ship is about to be broken up, then the crew know that they are in real danger. They are not only in danger of losing their ship, but also in danger of losing their lives. They must have been experienced sailors and accustomed to the ship, to the sea and to storms, but this one seemed boisterous enough to instil fear in them. The ones who were entrusted to see the passengers (and Jonah) arrive safely at Tarshish were now not so sure they would make the journey. That’s not a good feeling to have as a passenger. It’s like a ship captain was shouting, “Mayday.”

A Trust Issue

Jonah had entrusted his life into the hands of men whom he did not know and was on a journey fleeing away from the God he did know. Now, these men he had entrusted his life to, who thought they had their ship under control were suddenly not in control anymore. The sailors who had trusted the ship to get them from Joppa to Tarshish were on the verge of losing faith in their ship. Suddenly all that was trusted in was letting everyone down and that’s not a good place to be in. Suddenly all controls that the ship had were of no avail. It seemed like their trust had been betrayed as it were. When the ground beneath you gives way, what are you left to stand on?

Were Afraid…

When sailors are afraid, then there’s real danger. The storm was in control of not just their ship but also of their emotions now. Sailors are tough men, but for fear to grip their hearts means it’s no ordinary fear of phobia we’re talking about – we’re talking about serious danger. When fear sets in, it can affect logical reasoning, it can cripple the person, it can cause a great deal of stress, it can result in other emotions like anger and anxiety. It can result in bad decision-making. There’s no telling what can happen when fear grips one’s heart. It’s not an emotion any passenger likes to see in the face of their ship crew. In fact, it’s not an emotion a sailor expects to experience on a journey he’s made so many times.

Team Fear

We’re not talking about one sailor here, there was obviously a crew of them that were in charge of the ship. For one person to be afraid is one thing, but for all the sailors to be afraid is something to not take lightly. One person could be having an emotional issue, but all of them can’t be having the same problem at the same time and for the same reason, unless it’s a real and serious problem.

In whose hands have we entrusted our lives?

Just like Jonah entrusted his life into the hands of the sailors who did not know God or what He was about in the world, so also many of us have entrusted our lives into the care of men who neither know God, nor what He is about in the world – saving mankind from a lost eternity. Jonah was on a journey fleeing from God’s call on His life and from the presence of God - or so he thought. Many of us in The Church are in the same ‘boat,’ (pun intended). Who are the ‘mariners’ in whose hands we The Church have so gladly entrusted our lives as we ‘sail along’ in life? This might seem like an odd question. After all, The Church is in God’s hands right? And nothing can destroy it. While that’s absolutely true, the question remains, how many of us have placed our lives in the Lord’s hands. It takes each of us trusting God to make all of us trusting God. And if most of us are trusting in the things of the world to see us through in life - money, education, position, appearance, skill, power, influence, fame, etc, then let’s not kid ourselves - we’ve entrusted our lives into the hands of the world, not into the hands of The Lord. There’s nothing wrong with any of the above per se, but trusting in any of these things to see us through life and beyond, is the problem, and sadly, many of us have not only done just that, but we’re doing all we can to train our children to do so to the best of their ability. They are not to blame for that – we are.

Who stands to lose?

The call to make disciples of the world was not only for the 12 disciples but to every believer in Christ. Not all of us were called into full-time ministry as they were, though some of us were very specifically called. But all of us are called to be full-time witnesses of God’s work in our lives and have the responsibility to share the gospel with the world and to make disciples of them. There’s no way around that – it’s the very reason we were kept back on earth after we got saved – to help save others. We were ready for heaven the moment we got saved but if all of us went home immediately then how would the others get to know God? That’s how serious our calling is – let’s not take it lightly.