Violent Grace
The storms of our life most often are the most effective at revealing what we actually believe. What is it that we do in the storm? Why do we want God to calm it? Is it because we think that God owes us better? He doesn’t. Is it because we’ve done everything right? We haven’t. Is it because we read the Bible and we go to church and we go to community groups and this just doesn’t happen to that good of a Christian? It does. Jonah’s storm came out of God’s grace as he ran from God and toward a religious life. How are you running from God?
Violent Grace
Many talk about this part of Jonah’s story as God’s wrath upon those who stray from His way, but what if there’s more to the story? If the point of the story is God’s wrath on the heathen, why do the sailors worship God? Why is Jonah still alive? Rather, we see God relentlessly pursuing Jonah out of His love and grace. God sends an unprecedented storm and a massive fish to Jonah, all so that Jonah will go up to fix his eyes again on God. This isn’t a vengeful god on a warpath, this is a Shepherd seeking after the lost sheep of His flock.