Correcting Storms

When the Lord called Jonah to go and bring a message of repentance to the great city of Nineveh, Jonah took a boat in the opposite direction. The people of Nineveh were the enemies of Israel, and Jonah reasoned that if he went and preached to them, they would repent and the Lord would spare them.

Meanwhile, the Bible tells us, “the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart” (Jonah 1:4 NLT). The storm was so bad that even the seasoned sailors on Jonah’s ship began to cry out to their various deities, hoping for deliverance. Ultimately it was determined that this storm had come as a result of Jonah, so they threw him overboard.

That storm came as a result of Jonah’s disobedience. I call it a correcting storm. Correcting storms are what we basically bring upon ourselves by our stupid actions. We do something wrong. It catches up with us. We face the consequences. And then we say, “Oh, why has this storm come into my life?” It’s because of what we did. That’s why.

Maybe you’re facing a correcting storm today. You had been so clever in hiding your sin, and no one knew about it for weeks, for months, or maybe even for years. Then suddenly you were found out. Suddenly everyone knew what you’d been up to.

Correcting storms are reminders that God loves us. If God didn’t love Jonah, He wouldn’t have sent a storm. But because Jonah was God’s man, God wanted to get his attention and get him back on track. In the same way, God loves you and wants you to get back on track with Him.