God Hurls Great Winds - Jonah

Jonah 1:4-6 (ESV Strong's)
But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.”

God Hurls Great Winds

Today’s political culture and societal norms would like to say that the reason for the climate disruptions around the globe are because of man’s carbon emissions.   One would be confused listening to the two sides debate climate warming and “natural” disasters.   The “scientific community” likes to credit man for making “Mother Nature” mad.   It would be fun to ask them what caused the above storm in the sea when Jonah was aboard the cargo ship in the above passage.   It seems pretty clear that the reason for the storm is that God was trying to get Jonah’s attention.   We don’t like to think in these categories, but uses disasters He either creates or allows to accomplish His will and plan.   Note what happened in Job’s life:


Job 1:18-19 (ESV Strong's)
While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

We know God allows and create these types of events because He says He says He does:

Isaiah 45:7 (ESV Strong's)
I form light and create darkness;
I make well-being and create calamity;
I am the Lord, who does all these things.

Jonah was running from God.  God needed to get Jonah’s attention.  He sent a storm at sea to do that.  The men on the boat also learned about God’s power that day.  He also got their attention.   God uses disaster and difficulty in our lives to get our attention.   It is too bad the world wants to even steal that glory from God and say it is man who is causing disasters in on the world’s climate.   There is no doubt that man’s sin is making the earth groan (Romans 8).  But, the disaster that we see just might be God trying to get our attention.