Jonah 1:11-16

Jonah 1:11-16  Then said [the sailors] unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you. Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them. Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee. So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows. Jonah knew what the problem was: it was him! And Jonah knew what the answer was; throw him overboard. But the sailors didn’t want to throw Jonah overboard to certain death. But the more they tried to get to land, the stronger the storm grew. As they begged God’s forgiveness, they threw Jonah into the angry sea. And immediately, the sea calmed and the storm faded. These tough old sailors became believers in God and offered sacrifices and made all kinds of promises to God. And I think that they meant them. Even though Jonah was running from God, he had brought revival to these sailors! And praise the Lord, God was not through with Jonah! Not yet.