Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Storms lesson number three: God may use storms to sanctify us back to, or forward in Him

Today’s scripture, Jonah 1:1‭-‬4 (NLT) shares…
The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.” But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish. But the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart.

Consider…
When the Holy Spirit gave me today’s post, He showed me two men who witnessed God speaking through a storm. The men were Noah and Jonah.

With Noah, God used the storm to show all the people of the earth that He would not tolerate evil, and only the righteous would survive His wrath. Whereas with Jonah, God used a storm to redirect the steps of just one. Despite Jonah’s plans, God reordered his steps from disobedience to obedience.

In both cases, God used a storm to demonstrate that He was in control. And in both situations, God used a storm as the dead end to man’s way, and a u-turn to His.

As I reflect on recent storms that I went through, I realize just how helpless I was against the sovereignty and power of God. I hear Elihu’s admonition to Job about God’s power. Job 37:13‭-‬16 (NLT) shares…
He makes these things happen either to punish people or to show his unfailing love. “Pay attention to this, Job. Stop and consider the wonderful miracles of God! Do you know how God controls the storm and causes the lightning to flash from his clouds? Do you understand how he moves the clouds with wonderful perfection and skill?

Have you stopped to question whether the storms God allows in your life are His punishment or a way to show His unfailing love? The reason we should ask the question is to take inventory of our relationship with God. We should ask ourselves if we’re experiencing a storm of redirection or affirmin connection?

It’s helpful to know that storms are sanctioned by God to sanctify us for His glory and our good.

Meditating more on God’s punishment or unfailing love, I can see the contrast with Jonah and Noah. Jonah boarded a ship of disobedience and experienced punishment from a storm, whereas Noah boarded the Ark of obedience and experienced affirming connection and protection through the storm.

Have you ever made the connection of Noah’s Ark and the Ark of the Covenant where God’s presence abided among the people? God is emphasizing the importance of obedience in experiencing His presence rather than His punishment.

Therefore, as storms arise in your life, you must decide if you’re going to board Jonah’s ship of disobedience or Noah’s Ark of obedience. Your decision will determine how you experience the God sanctioned sanctification storms of life.

As thought provoking as Elihu’s reminder for Job to fear and reverence God was, I am even more fascinated by God’s rebuke of Job’s questioning Him. Let’s read just a couple of excerpts of God’s interrogation from Job 38:1‭-‬3‭, ‬25‭, ‬34‭-‬35 (NLT)…
Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind: “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them… “Who created a channel for the torrents of rain? Who laid out the path for the lightning?… “Can you shout to the clouds and make it rain? Can you make lightning appear and cause it to strike as you direct?

Wow 😳, did God challenge Job to a storm making contest?

It’s easy to forget that we are always products and beneficiaries of God’s grace. Like Jonah, in today’s scripture, we can become so full of ourselves that we believe we can say ‘no’ to God. I am not talking about unrepentant sinners who reject God, I am talking to sanctified saints who deliberately disobey Him. Somehow in our arrogance, we’ve mistaken God’s absolute commands as optional requests. But, also like with Jonah, when we disobey God’s directives, He may send a storm to redirect us.

So again I encourage you to take inventory in the midst of your storms and ask yourself, am I in the will of God? Contemplate the question, if I go to sleep (die) right now, will I wake up to the Master’s voice saying well done my good and faithful servant? (Matthew 25:23)

Those questions have me hearing the Holy Spirit emphasize the fact that we are saved to serve God. That means we must…

• Do what God says to do (Colossians 3:23)
• Be what God says to be (Romans 12:2)
• Speak how God wants us to speak (Colossians 4:6)
• Say what God wants us to say (Ephesians 4:29)
• Dress how God wants us to dress (Colossians 3:12-14)

Not only must we do these handful of things that God requires, we must do them when He tells us to because delayed obedience is still disobedience.

Jonah didn’t immediately do what God required and was punished, but Noah faithfully obeyed and was saved. Both men went through a God sanctioned storm, but for very different reasons. Jonah’s storm was for God’s correcting wrath, while Noah’s storm was to ride safely along God’s unfailing love affirming path.

Today’s encouragement is simply this, we’re going to go through God sanctioned storms, we must determine if the storm’s purpose is to bring us back or move us forward in His Will.

I highly recommend you get on board Noah’s Ark of obedience and tell God, “I’ll do Your Will!”

Today’s song is…
I’ll Do Your Will

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)