AUGUST 5, 2026 – CALAMITY

READ: Jon. 1:5–7: … Arise, call on your God …

Jonah thinks he can escape a commission with which he disagrees. But the LORD determines otherwise. He employs the means that stand at His disposal. From this we learn that God’s hand is present in the various developments in nature that come upon us and to which we must respond rightly.

For a believer this may also include adversity: a failed harvest, an epidemic, an illness, or a devastating tsunami. We should always ask why the Lord permits such things to happen to us. They are certainly not always punishments for personal sins. They may also be trials to see whether we continue to expect all things from the LORD in times of adversity.

The Old Testament is full of such events. Prosperity was often more directly connected with covenant obedience and adversity with disobedience, though not always. The LORD also tested His faithful people and sometimes granted prosperity during times of spiritual decline. In every case, both in the Old and New Testaments, self-examination is called for: Why does the LORD do this? How should I respond? How ought I to react toward the LORD?

David frequently addresses these matters in the Psalms. Psalm 29 especially points to God’s power and majesty in the storm.

What does Jonah do when the violent storm arises? First he sleeps deeply and must be awakened by the captain. But when the captain warns that they will perish unless something is done, it is clear that Jonah’s guilt may bring destruction not only upon himself but also upon the crew.

Jonah knows that God has raised this storm. Why then does he not pray at the captain’s request? Is he not a prophet of the LORD? Jonah remains hardened and resists to the very end.

The crew is desperate. They suspect that someone is responsible for the calamity. Yet even then Jonah does not confess. He allows matters to proceed until the crew casts lots and he himself is identified. What a spectacle of a covenant child! He is the cause of the misery of others, yet refuses to acknowledge it.

How often do we examine ourselves?

Sing: Ps. 32:5.