Then 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. So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?” He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.)

When you have tried everything you can to weather a great storm at sea, I imagine there comes a time when all you want to see is the shoreline. You might be done with the sea for a little while. I think these sailors were definitely there. Clearly this was no ordinary storm. These were experienced sailors. They had been through storms before. But this one was different. It was huge and it did not relent.

There are times in life when we come to a crossroads of sorts in our minds. I have been there. When so many challenging things happen at once or one massive challenge comes, and we are completely overwhelmed. We have a choice to make in those moments: Will we buckle under the pressure, will we continue to try on our own to deal with it in the same old way with minimal progress, or will we ask for help and be willing to trust God.

These sailors realized that their only and last hope for a life beyond the sea was to seek out who Jonah’s God was and why he was angry with him. Maybe they could appease him?

When they asked Jonah who he worshipped, he said, “The God who made the land and the sea.” I think this was important. Jonah’s God was the God over the massive challenge they were in (the sea), and he was the God over the solution they so craved to see (the land).

In the middle of trials, what do I just wish would happen to fix the challenges I face? Judgment on those who hurt me? More money to solve the debt issues? The perfect clients or job to arise and make me a success by this world’s standards? Or maybe it is the right relationship or friends to fulfill my needs?  

Do I realize that my God is both the God of the challenge and the God of the victory too? He is Lord of All! His plans are so much better than mine — every single time!  

Will I take time to get to know this great God more today?  

Lord, season my heart, my mind, my actions with your incredibly good ways to live, I pray. No matter where I find myself, in challenges or victories, may I seek you first and be a constant reflector of your amazing power and love to all around me.