Friday 4 Dec 2015

December 4: Jonah 1:4-6

Key Verse: Jonah 1:5
Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god, and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep.

Devotion:
How many times have you ignored, or tried to ignore the things going on around you? How many times have you “buried your head in the sand” to avoid having to do something? We see a picture here of Jonah being asleep during the great storm which was beating down on the ship he was sailing in, trying to escape from the things the Lord wanted him to do. So not only is Jonah trying to escape from God wishes, but he is also ignoring the needs of the sailors who are sailing the boat. He is ignoring the needs of those that are close to him.

Many times when we start to ignore things we should be doing, we find ourselves trapped in a spiral where we shut our eyes to those things and find we are also shutting our eyes and hearts to the needs of those that are closest to us. We are living in a world that can be compared to a storm. There is no peace in the lands around us, there is only war and fighting, both at home and abroad. People are rising up against others and much of it is due to the apathy of those who have the power to make change.

We have the power to change things by taking God's Word out to others, by showing them there is love, a great love, and it is right here and now. It is not far away in distant lands, but right here and right now. God continues to show His love to us by answering our prayers and listing to everything we pray.

If He is listening to every prayer we utter, then why are we not on our knees asking for strength and wisdom to take His Word out to others so they can experience the peace we have. The peace which enables us to sleep soundly whilst the earth around us erupts in war and crime.

Points to Ponder:
If you see someone drop something, what do you do?

God does not make excuses; why do we?