HOW CAN YOU SLEEP

The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.”

Jonah 1:6 NIV

INTRODUCTION

The Captain of the ship spoke these words in the midst of a crisis. They all agreed that the solution then lied in any god who would hear them when they prayed to their different gods.

TERMS: Crisis - : the turning point for better or worse in an acute disease or fever.

Crisis is an unstable or crucial time or state of affairs in which a decisive change is impending

 (online dictionary)

A crisis therefore is a situation that poses a threat of worsening or an opportunity of turning around for the better should any meaningful intervention happen.

Oblivion: the state of being unaware  or unconscious of what is happening 

OBSERVATION

1. WE ARE IN A CRISIS TIME

With the events of today that are global in nature it shows that the time we are  living in is truly a perilous time with a number of crisis. 

The pandemic before  and around us is a deadly weapon against humanity ever experienced. The sudden death of people in their numbers is  a traumatising experience. The events of today 

call for a decisive action that will involve God to intervene. 

2. WE SHOULD NOT BE SLEEPING

The ship's captain went to Jonah. He said, ‘You should not be sleeping! Get up and speak in a loud voice to your god! Maybe he will listen to us and we will not die.’

Jonah 1:6 EASY.

In such a time of lockdowns it is easy for a  believer to slowly slide into the oblivion of slumber and become indifferent in spiritual matters and other things around.

3. WAKE UP AND CALL ON GOD

God uses different things and events to draw us to himself.  In Jonah's case he used the mighty wind that caused terror and fear. The first thing each one did was to call on his god. Jonah had to be awakened to pray. 

Before he prayed he acknowledged that he was the one on the wrong. Jonah woke up, but instead of  praying he further wanted to drift away from God. He got into more trouble by avoiding to pray and opted to get into the sea for him to die without praying. Let us wake up and pray.

4. JONAH PRAYED IN THE BELLY OF THE FISH

From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God.

Jonah 2:1 NIV

 “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord , and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.

Jonah 2:1‭, ‬7 NIV

Jonah did not pray in the ship but decided to sleep. Jonah prayed in the belly of the fish where he was alone. Jonah prayed when trouble isolated him. Jonah prayed when he realised that the worsening situation can only be resolved by prayer and repentance before God.

CONCLUSION

Let us  not wait until something worst strikes before we start waking up to pray. We are already in the " Belly of the Fish" we should all wake up and go on our knees in prayer. Let us humbly seek  God and draw near to him   even in this storm.

The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.”

Jonah 1:6 NIV

THREE THINGS TO DO

a.Wake up

b. Call on your God

c. So that we may not perish

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