The Gift of the Storm

“Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.” Jonah1:4



As Jonah, unhappy and unhumble, headed for Tarshish, God stirred the sea and sent a storm—a bad one. Scared for their lives, the sailors tossed the cargo and cried to their gods. As the ship tossed and tumbled, Jonah slept deeply down below until the captain dragged him out of bed and demanded that he pray. With all hands on deck, the ones on board rolled dice to find out who caused this calamity, and the lot fell on Jonah. “Who are you and what have you done?” the crew demanded, so Jonah divulged, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land…Jonah had already told them he was running away from the Lord”(Jonah 1:9-10).


Smooth sailing to Tarshish might have been easier, but a storm was the fastest and most effective way to get Jonah back on track. Though no one thought so at the time, the storm was a gift—a present of grace to remind Jonah of God’s presence and God’s purpose. The rocking ship and rolling waves brought Jonah face to face with who he was and who God is. “I am a Hebrew,” he told the sailors—a chosen child of God for whom He had a great plan and a great purpose. Such grace is not without responsibility, and the pounding waves made Jonah admit that he was running from his calling. “I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land,” he testified in the tempest, implying that the One above had created it all and controlled it all—even the storm.


We don’t like to think that God causes storms, but He does—not all of them, but some. Often we stir the sea ourselves by sin and selfishness, but there are times when, in His grace, God is the one who sends the wind. We are His chosen children for whom He has a great plan and a great purpose, and He won’t let us get away without making waves. The gift of the storm brings us face to face with who we are and who God is. Don’t hide-out below. Get on deck and let life’s toss and tumble turn your eyes and your heart back to God. Testify in the tempest that He is God and He is good.


The storm we think is our demise is often our deliverance.


We might have smooth sailing if God cared less, but we would never end up where we need to be.