5 - The Fearful Mariners

# 5 - The Fearful Mariners 

Jonah 1:5 - “Then the mariners were afraid…”

The Mariners…

When the ship is about to be broken up, then the crew know that they are in real danger. They are not only in danger of losing their ship, but also in danger of losing their lives. They must have been experienced sailors and accustomed to the ship, to the sea and to storms, but this one seemed boisterous enough to instil fear in them. The ones who were entrusted to see the passengers (and Jonah) arrive safely at Tarshish were now not so sure they would make the journey. That’s not a good feeling to have as a passenger. It’s like a ship captain was shouting, “Mayday.” 

A Trust Issue 

Jonah had entrusted his life into the hands of men whom he did not know and was on a journey fleeing away from the God he did know. Now, these men he had entrusted his life to, who thought they had their ship under control were suddenly not in control anymore. The sailors who had trusted the ship to get them from Joppa to Tarshish were on the verge of losing faith in their ship. Suddenly all that was trusted in was letting everyone down and that’s not a good place to be in. Suddenly all controls that the ship had were of no avail. It seemed like their trust had been betrayed as it were. When the ground beneath you gives way, what are you left to stand on? 

Were Afraid… 

When sailors are afraid, then there’s real danger. The storm was in control of not just their ship but also of their emotions now. Sailors are tough men, but for fear to grip their hearts means it’s no ordinary fear of phobia we’re talking about – we’re talking about serious danger. When fear sets in, it can affect logical reasoning, it can cripple the person, it can cause a great deal of stress, it can result in other emotions like anger and anxiety. It can result in bad decision-making. There’s no telling what can happen when fear grips one’s heart. It’s not an emotion any passenger likes to see in the face of their ship crew. In fact, it’s not an emotion a sailor expects to experience on a journey he’s made so many times. 

Team Fear 

We’re not talking about one sailor here, there was obviously a crew of them that were in charge of the ship. For one person to be afraid is one thing, but for all the sailors to be afraid is something to not take lightly. One person could be having an emotional issue, but all of them can’t be having the same problem at the same time and for the same reason, unless it’s a real and serious problem. 

In whose hands have we entrusted our lives? 

Just like Jonah entrusted his life into the hands of the sailors who did not know God or what He was about in the world, so also many of us have entrusted our lives into the care of men who neither know God, nor what He is about in the world – saving mankind from a lost eternity. Jonah was on a journey fleeing from God’s call on His life and from the presence of God - or so he thought. Many of us in The Church are in the same ‘boat,’ (pun intended). Who are the ‘mariners’ in whose hands we The Church have so gladly entrusted our lives as we ‘sail along’ in life? This might seem like an odd question. After all, The Church is in God’s hands right? And nothing can destroy it. While that’s absolutely true, the question remains, how many of us have placed our lives in the Lord’s hands. It takes each of us trusting God to make all of us trusting God. And if most of us are trusting in the things of the world to see us through in life - money, education, position, appearance, skill, power, influence, fame, etc, then let’s not kid ourselves - we’ve entrusted our lives into the hands of the world, not into the hands of The Lord. There’s nothing wrong with any of the above per se, but trusting in any of these things to see us through life and beyond, is the problem, and sadly, many of us have not only done just that, but we’re doing all we can to train our children to do so to the best of their ability. They are not to blame for that – we are. 

Who stands to lose? 

The call to make disciples of the world was not only for the 12 disciples but to every believer in Christ. Not all of us were called into full-time ministry as they were, though some of us were very specifically called. But all of us are called to be full-time witnesses of God’s work in our lives and have the responsibility to share the gospel with the world and to make disciples of them. There’s no way around that – it’s the very reason we were kept back on earth after we got saved – to help save others. We were ready for heaven the moment we got saved but if all of us went home immediately then how would the others get to know God? That’s how serious our calling is – let’s not take it lightly. 

When we are too busy going about our own affairs and being unconcerned with God’s purposes through us - purposes that would affect the lives of countless millions across the globe both positively and eternally, then we are jeopardising their lives for eternity. We can’t afford to have this lackadaisical attitude towards God’s call, and towards the people Jesus died and rose to save. Such an attitude will eventually impact our own lives forever – unless we repent and return to God’s call on our lives. 

Who’s Afraid? 

We’re going through a pandemic, the likes of which none of us alive have ever seen – we’ve only read about them in the past. Not only is it’s effects lethal, but it’s reach is also global – every conceivable country and territory has been both infected and affected. There’s hardly a human who has not, in some way been affected by this Virus called COVID-19. It seems to spread it’s tentacles across, not only racial lines, but also professional, political, religious, language and cultural lines as well – it’s a respecter of no one. There are many national leaders who are in a state of confusion, not knowing what to do – whatever course of action is taken could have ill effects one way or the other – much like our sailors who were afraid and at a loss as to what to do during the tempest-illence. 

Who’s our Support? 

Whom are we, The Church depending on at this time? Those of us who have always sought God are still seeking Him, while those of us who have not sought Him, are leaning heavily on our leaders to see us through this crisis, but sadly, their hands are tied – there’s nothing they can do, because it seems that the hand of the Lord is against the world at the moment and the best thing one can do at this time is to repent and turn to God with all our hearts. 

The Invitation

If you’ve never really been saved and known God (not known about God), and don’t have a personal, intimate relationship with Him, then there’s no better time than now to repent and turn to God. If you’ve known Him but walked away from His call on your life to do your own thing, then it’s time to stop in your tracks and repent all over again and get back to fulfilling God’s plan in and through your life. Tomorrow may be too late. There’s a world out there waiting for every individual in the Body of Christ to get up and begin sharing the Love and Gospel with them like never before, and I believe that they are open to believe now, more than they’ve ever been in the past. Let’s not lose this amazing opportunity to connect with them and lead them to their loving Creator, who’s waiting to welcome them home. It’s about time we got busy doing what we were saved to do – help save the world from a lost eternity. 

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Michael Collins