Jonah #11

Adam asked that prayer be offered for his baby son, Jerry, & Vilma. Angie returned this week.

The math teacher resigned so we are searching for another one. It is difficult because the best teachers are gobbled up first by other schools. Began enrolling the college students.

The cabinets Bob made for Los Cometas (little boy dorm) are beautiful.

[caption id="attachment_14132" align="alignnone" width="300"] The boys & Bob installing cabinets[/caption]

Jonah was so determined to disobey God he was willing to leave his own family and home. This is not unusual and still happens in modern times. All of the sailors panic. These are professional Phoenician sailors who were considered the greatest mariners of the ancient world. If they were frightened then it is obvious this was no average storm.

Jonah 1:4 says that the storm came from God. And verse 5 says the sailors became to throw off the cargo (their livelihood) in order to lighten the load. Incredibly Jonah went down into the bottom portion of the ship and fell asleep. He does not care at all that others are suffering from his disobedience.

My actions or lack of action always affects others. Your life is truly not an island. One truth we see here is that we cannot save ourselves. These professionals did what they knew to do to save the ship from sinking.

Now the heathen captain hears that Jonah was asleep and he runs down to the bottom deck where Jonah did sleep. He asked him to pray to “his” god. In those days almost every city or village had his own gods. The sailors were crying out to their gods without results. So many this stranger asleep in the ship has a different “god”.

Isn’t it terrible that Jonah had to be awakened by a pagan and told to pray? Isn’t it terrible that Jonah had to told to wake up and be concerned about the plight of others? Isn't it terrible that we sometimes cause the problems through which others must walk abd suffer?

Sadly I am like Jonah too often in my own life.