Get Up And Call On Your God!

Get up and call on your god!

Jonah 1:6 The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.”

1) SURROUNDED BY STORM

Jonah 1: 4 Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.”

WE ARE SURROUNDED BY STORM ON ALL SIDES:

Jonah is a very familiar subject and the often preached sermon on disobedience; however, I would like to speak on something different today… which is very important for the current situation of a broken world engulfed with famines, earthquakes, war, violence, rapes, murder, bloodshed, innocent babies being taken as hostages as it is happening in Gaza, children running helter skelter searching for dead parents…much more agony…

What is our role in this broken world???? We need to be a beacon of light in this lost and dark world. Are you listening to me? However, prophet Jonah chose to sleep, not just a nap but DEEP SLEEP. Verse 5 “But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.” Many Christians are sleeping instead of joining prayer groups to pray! This is a WARNING MESSAGE!

According to the data, as of December 31, 2022, Nagaland, Tripura, Manipur, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have lower occupancy rates in prisons in stark contrast to several other states, where the population surpassed the capacity, with New Delhi topping the list with 18,497 inmates with an available capacity of 10, 026 (almost double, when we talk about crime in New Delhi, how could we forget Nirbhaya's rape and murder in the eerie night of December 12, 2012, a shiver runs up my spine when I think of it). Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Maharashtra are all the other States where they profusely surpass the occupancy rates.

Amaraesh Pujari, DGP Prisons and Correctional Services, Tamil Nadu said he wants to change prisons into correctional colleges. Way to go and great mission! I like the word ‘Correctional colleges’! We need these kind of officers for such a time as this in the present scenario where school students have mobile phones hidden in school bags to watch porn smoke E cigarettes. I give below gist of e cigarettes for parents who are not aware of this poison.

An electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) or vape is a device that simulates tobacco smoking. It consists of an atomizer, a power source such as a battery, The upper class youth and teens and also the highly educated bunch with plum jobs, dig their hands into drugs like weeds and also e-cigarettes. Despite comprehensive bans, e-cigarettes are available to young people in India. Those with higher levels of education are among those most likely to vape. It is available online. E-cigarettes are not safe for youth, young adults, pregnant adults, as well as adults who do not currently use tobacco products. Parents, don’t close your eyes like a cat and think everything is safe, pray for your children.

2) How can you sleep? Part 2

Jonah 1:6 The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.”

Hebrew prophet named Jonah, son of Amittai, was sent by God to prophesy the destruction of Nineveh. Jonah forgot his assignment and went in a different direction defying God's order. During the time storm and crisis, he should have been like Apostle Paul as we read in the book of Acts chapter 27, when all hopes were lost, Paul looked at the passengers and said verse 22 “But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. 23 Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me 24 and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul.

Because of disobedience, Jonah had gone below the deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. Not just napping but he was into deep sleep. At the right time, when you have to wake up for prayer in the morning, the demon puts you to deep sleep. People can stay awake the whole night and watch a movie, drive the car and do office work, but when it comes to prayer- they fall into deep sleep. The Lord looks at each one of you today and asks “How can you sleep? Caution!

In the year 2020 when the Government shut down everything due to COVID, my daughter Shalina started her early morning 5am zoom prayer meeting. So we as a family had to wake up at 4 am and pray before that, during that time I started attending other 5am online prayers. After a short while, I started ‘Booster group 5 am prayer’ during the COVID season and we were praying for patients and medicines; the prayer group is functioning even till date and going strong with people joining from various places in the country and out of the country too. We are called to actively operate for such a time as this! The devil stops productivity in our life by lulling us to sleep!