Today's devotion - Jonah 1:11-12
11 The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, "What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?"taken from www.biblegateway.com
12 "Pick me up and throw me into the sea," he replied, "and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you." (NIV)
This is probably one of the best known stories from the Bible -- one we hear early in our lives to warn us against running away from God's will. In fact, it's so familiar that it is difficult for me to read because I want to keep rushing ahead to the end of the story. And it's one of those stories where it's easy to say "I would never do THAT!" instead of trying to see a real relationship to our own lives.
But as I re-read it, I found this passage interesting. If Jonah knew that his actions were the cause of the storm and he knew that the lives of the others on board were at risk, why did he ask them to throw him overboard? Why didn't he just jump?
Even when we know without a doubt how to fix the messes we have created, we still need the support and help of others. Some things are just too scary to do alone. It is important for us to turn to our friends (or even strangers if they are the only ones around) and ask for their help. It may mean having someone who will hold us accountable for staying on the right road, or someone we know will take us to task if we give into temptation.
Left on our own, we will look at the rough sea and seek any other possible way to avoid taking the right, but difficult, action. Who do you have to hold you accountable?
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