We read in Jonah 1:5, “Then the mariners were afraid,” (ESV)
The mariners were filled with dread when they saw that the sea was so tumultuous and beyond their control. They therefore, feared that the ship would be wrecked, their goods destroyed and they would lose their lives in the process. I am sure these mariners would have been experienced men who had encountered many storms during their travel by sea. Somehow, it seemed that this storm was so fierce and unmanageable that they lost hope of their survival.
If God were to oppose us for any reason, our strength, ability, wisdom and experience will all prove futile. Jonah had received clear instructions from God that he should go and preach against the city of Nineveh. However, Jonah refused to do this as he did not want to preach and have the people of Nineveh repent. Jonah knew that if they repented, God would relent and not punish them. It seemed that Jonah’s reputation as a prophet was of far greater importance to him than the lives of the people of Nineveh. Jonah had such faith in his preaching, that he was sure his message would lead to repentance. Nonetheless, Jonah was not willing to do this. He decided to go in a direction totally opposite to Nineveh, and the consequence was that God sent a furious storm to stop Jonah in his tracks.
We read in Romans 8:31, What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? (ESV)
Think about the opposite scenario of this verse. If God were to be against us, no human can stand with us and help us.
The outcome of those who challenged God’s people
• Goliath
Goliath the Philistine was a strong man, mighty warrior, tall in stature and a man of great experience in warfare. He challenged the armies of Israel who were children of the living God, and taunted them. As the entire army of Israel under King Saul stood terrified before Goliath, God used the young inexperienced shepherd boy David to slay the giant.
• Pharaoh
The people of Israel settled in the land of Egypt when Joseph was the governor there. However, as the years passed by, there came a pharaoh who did not know Joseph or remember all that he had done. This pharaoh decided to enslave the people of Israel with hard labor, and used them to build his cities. This continued for many hundreds of years and the pharaoh’s were keeping the Israelites under their iron-fist. In such a situation God sent Moses, a man who had spent forty years in the wilderness, tending sheep. God did such mighty wonders through the hands of Moses that pharaoh realized he could not fight against the God of the Israelites.
• Nebuchadnezzar
Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon, which was a vast and splendid empire. Nebuchadnezzar prided himself in all his achievements and in a moment when he though too highly of himself, he was set aside from men to become like an animal, and ate grass like cattle.
God takes note of it when there are insults or slanderous words spoken against His own. No matter how enormous is the force of those who come against the children of God, they can never prevail as long as the Lord is on our side. When the Lord is with us, no one can come against us and conquer us. For those who like the Israelites are under some form of bondage or slavery, the Lord will surely come and bring deliverance. Nebuchadnezzar is also an example to prove to us that no one can stand against God and win, it has never and will never be a possibility.
As long as the Lord is on our side we are in a safe place. Nevertheless, it is possible for us to move away from the Lord, and put ourselves in a vulnerable place. There are those who comfort themselves that we are in this period of grace, and that no ills will befall us. Please read the bible carefully, and we will realize that God’s protection and grace is only on those who live in obedience to God and His word. If we deliberately go on sinning, and try to achieve things in our own wisdom and strength, working entirely for our own selfish gains, without being aware of it we are moving away from God’s presence and protection.
In the early church amongst the thousands of families that were there, Ananias and Sapphira were also one of them. They sold their lands, kept back some deceitfully, and placed the rest at the apostle’s feet. Peter was able to discern their deception, but when confronted both of them lied to him individually. The consequence was tragic in that both of them lost their lives that very same day.
There are many who have this question in their hearts as to why after so much of prayers that are being offered, God is still not answering our prayers to change our present situation caused by the pandemic.
This is what is written in Proverbs 28:9, He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer is an abomination. (ASV)
The ones who hear God’s word and do their own thing, the word of God clearly declares that the prayers of such will not be heard as it is an abomination to the Lord. Our prayers become an abomination when we walk away from God’s commands, and decide to continue to live in disobedience.
God established the words of Samuel
We read about Samuel in 1 Samuel 3:19, And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. (ESV)
As Samuel grew, God was with him, and therefore none of the words he spoke were left unfulfilled. The reason for this kind of a witness about Samuel is found in the next verse.
We read in 1 Samuel 3:10, And the LORD came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” (ESV)
When the Lord came and spoke to Samuel, he was ready to listen from a very young age. Samuel learnt to be attentive to God’s word and live accordingly. This was the reason why every word that Samuel spoke, God ratified.
The church is in need of prophetic men of God like Samuel these days. This is the kind of testimony that we should hear these days. Today the sad situation is that there is a willful disobedience to God’s word, and His commands. If we pray this way, our prayers will truly be averse to God. There is so much of competition, jealousy, quarrels, disunity, wrong doing and injustice amongst God’s people, who are called by His name.
What hinders our prayers from being answered?
The prophet Isaiah explained it this way in Isaiah 1:15, When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. (ESV)
Our hands may be lifted up to the Lord, and we may make many prayers to the Lord, but He will hide his eyes from us and will not listen to our prayers if there is sin. We must take a quick analysis to see the kind of testimony we have with our family, at our work place or wherever else we are. There are many who genuinely want to love and follow Jesus, but the kind of testimony believer’s exhibit has been the main hindrance for many from coming to the Lord. Whoever hinders others in their growth in their faith life or spiritual walk are guilty of having blood of others on their hands.
What should we do to have our prayers answered?
Isaiah says it this way in Isaiah 1:16-17, Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause. (ESV)
Instead of asking God to change everyone around us, we as a church must ask God to change us. The reason the ship that Jonah travelled in was faced with the severe storm was because of Jonah’s disobedience. We must ask God to wash us, remove evil deeds from amongst us and instead learn to do good. Our speech for instance, must be with caution and always for the edification of others. They say there are three kinds of people, ones who think and speak, the next group who keep speaking as they keep thinking, and the third kind who will speak and then think about what they said. Let us learn to speak good words, and do good deeds all the time, for only then our prayers will be answered.
We should also be just in all that we do. Even when we hear things about others we need to ask God to help us be just and discerning to see what’s right and what’s wrong. Often we hear something about someone, and we pass it on freely to others, not even checking to see if what we are sharing is authentic. God wants us to be just, to be those who help the oppressed, bring justice to the orphans and take up the cause of the widows. It is only when we do so are we assured that our prayers will be answered by the Lord.
Jonah could have travelled in many ways, but he chose to take a ship, probably because he thought God would not pursue him. Jonah could have also undertaken this sea voyage, imagining that he would just be one in a crowd of passengers and would go unnoticed. Jonah was so much like the prophet Balaam, who went on a donkey that was stopped by the angel of the Lord with a sword drawn in his hands. Jonah forgot that he could not go against God’s commands and still succeed.
If today you are in that place thinking that you can continue in wrong doing, justifying that everyone else is doing so, you must stop and think. Let us not deceive ourselves to believe that we are safe in a crowd. Whenever, we disobey God and His word not only will it affect us, but the consequences of our disobedience will have its effects on those associated with us as well.
When Jonah paid the fare and got into that ship, he was in a way telling himself and the mariners that he trusted his life with them to take him safely to his destination. If Jonah was told that there was a huge storm that was awaiting them, he would not have ventured into that ship. He also trusted the strength of the ship, and the experience of the mariners, who he believed wouldn’t let him down but take him safely to Tarshish. Jonah forgot that they were mere men.
The church today is trusting in men and seeking approval from men over that of God’s. It is time for us to seek God and turn to Him.
We read in Psalm 146:3-5, Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, (ESV)
Many people are trusting other people, and have failed to make God their hope. It is only those who have made the God of Jacob their help who are blessed. If you are wondering as to why God is referred to as ‘The God of Jacob’, let me explain it to you. When Jacob fled from his father’s house and was lying in a certain place with a stone for his pillow, he had this amazing dream. He saw a huge ladder resting on earth that extended to the heavens and he saw angels ascending and descending on it. Every rung of that ladder is a picture of God’s word and His commands. As we hold on to both we will slowly rise to be those who are set apart from the world to become those who are pleasing to God.
Let me conclude with these words of Paul as found in Galatians 1:10, “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (ESV)
We need to ask ourselves whom we are trying to please, God or men? The fear that has gripped many is because we have disobeyed God’s commands, and have chosen to walk in our own ways. Let us decide to seek God’s approval alone, for only then can we be a true servant of the Lord Jesus. May we always be with the Lord and walk in obedience to His commands every single day of our lives.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
