“So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.” (Jon 1:6 AV)
Jonah was fast asleep in the haul of the ship as a
storm raged outside. The storm was sent
as a direct result of Jonah’s disobedience.
The shipmaster didn’t know this.
He simply expected all aboard to call upon their god for rescue on the
outside chance one of the gods to which they cried would be the one that sent
the gale. There is trouble outside and
all who are in the midst should be in prayer.
There is a chance they might not survive and the condition is beyond
their control. So everyone should be
busy making intercessions to anyone or anything that could change their
fortune. Yet, the backslidden preacher
is in the haul of the sheep being lulled to sleep by the tossing and turning of
the ship. There he lay, suspended
between two beams in a hammock that swayed with the waves of the sea. He felt no violence. He was unaware of the severity of the situation. He snored away his shipmate’s demise because
he had closed his eyes to the peril of others.
He closed his eyes to slumber rather than to deep prayer unto the one
and only true God, Jehovah.
The question posed by the shipmaster was one of
incredulity. He could not believe that
someone would be in slumber and not care if the ship sank. He could not believe that someone would be so
unaware of the obvious that he could not be naturally stirred to
intercession. The shipmaster was so incredulous
the question that proceeded from his mouth was not one of curiosity but of
indictment. While the rest of the
passage scurried about trying to secure the ship and cry to gods that do not
exist, the man of God is fast asleep resting in the mistaken belief that he has
escaped the call of God. His conscience
seared by his prejudice against those to whom God called them lent not to terror,
but comfort. The shipmaster looked at
the sleeping prophet and needed an explanation.
He needed to know what would possess this preacher to ignore the sure
destruction of his fellow shipmates. Why
wasn’t he as, or more, concerned with the future of them all that he did
something? Anything! Get out of bed and pray.
We live in a world of our own making. We have caused the mess of which we now
complain. We see a world rapidly receding
from the blessing of God’s presence. As
a race, we have rejected Him and His perfect will for us. We have done that since the garden of
Eden. This wicked world is one of our
own making. Yet there is something we
can do. We can pray. Even the lost world knows the people of God
should be in prayer. The world is racing
on a collision course with the wrath of almighty God. Jesus will return and put an end to all wickedness. Mankind is heading for destruction and what
meaneth thee, oh child of God, that you pray not? The vast majority of the world will die lost
and forever be tormented for their sin! What
meaneth thee, oh child of God, that thou prayest not for lost souls? The devil will lead countless multitudes in
rebellion against the Messiah. They will
suffer an eternity in the flames of the lake of fire! What meanest thou, oh child of God, that thou
sleepest? Why aren’t you out there, oh child of God, with the masses who are
scurrying about with no hope? Why aren’t
you out on the deck as the ship is thrashing about with the hope of the light
of the gospel of Jesus Christ? Why
sleepest thou, oh child of God? Do you
take the violence of the storm of wickedness in the ease of a rocking
hammock? Do you shelter yourself against
the reality that rages outside your comfort zone? Do you lull yourself to contentment while the
world suffers untold misery? Why
sleepest thou, oh child of God? Perhaps
you do not think you have any part in it because you did not directly cause
it. But you did. You may not be running from God. But you are still guilty of sin. You helped cause the storm so why sleepest
thou? Get up! Pray!
Testify! Serve! Get involved!
Arise!
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