Always in God's Sight

Scripture – Jonah 1:4-7: ⁴Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. ⁵All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. ⁶The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish.” ⁷Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.

Observation – (Write down what you see in the scripture.) Jonah seemed quite content in his disobedience. Maybe he thought he’d really gotten away from God and His call. Maybe he thought God had forgotten about him and simply found someone else to go to Nineveh. Clearly, though, God had not forgotten. And so the sailors had to pay a price for Jonah’s sin. That’s something I often overlook. My actions, good or bad, affect people around me. The sailors had a sense that someone on board was the problem. And so, “the lot fell on Jonah.”

Application – (Write how you will be different today because of what you have just read.) I’ll be aware of decisions I make today regarding my behavior. I’ll be aware of the affect those decisions have on other people.

Prayer – (Write out a brief prayer.) Lord Jesus, I cannot get away from you. The wind of your Spirit will always find me. For that I really am thankful. Keep me aware of the people around me today. I don’t live in a vacuum. May I honor you in my life this day.