Sleeping Through Stormy Seas

There were two prophets identified in the scriptures who shared similar experiences… they were both in boats in stormy weather and were sleeping through the storm while the other occupants feared for their lives.

Jonah, in the Old Testament, had been sent to the Gentiles to deliver a message from God. He hated those Gentiles so much that he tried to out run God and God sent the furious storm… through which Jonah slept. He eventually repented and delivered (unwillingly) God’s message to the Gentiles.

Jesus, in the New Testament, with his disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee when another furious storm struck. Jesus of course, like Jonah, was sleeping through it. Unlike Jonah at the behest of the disciples Jesus spoke a few words and extinguished the storm.

And then, like Jonah, Jesus went to a Gentile country to do battle with Satan and cast demons out of a man and into a herd of unclean hogs.

Of course Jesus was no ordinary Prophet… he was the Son of God and had the power to extinguish any kind of storm and carry his message of salvation to unclean Gentiles to make them clean and acceptable in the sight of God. And sent the unclean demons where they belonged… not in the temple of God but into unclean swine.

It can’t be by accident that Jonah and Jesus both endured literal stormy weather and I guess the message for us is clear… we can have great storms in our lives, usually caused by Satan, but with confidence and faith in Jesus Christ those storms can be quieted so that we can sail through life in calm seas and sunny skies.

Give faith a try and let him lift you out of the storm.