Smooth Sailing?

Madi Ford
Dec 5, 2020
4 min read

Updated: Sep 9, 2021

Freshman move in day, little did I know the year ahead would be filled with anything, but smooth sailing.

Have you ever been just completely sure of something, only to be dead wrong and hurled from your high horse? Yeah, me too. I’m an enneagram 8 and a Taurus if either of those terms mean anything to you. (big G must really be doing something there…) I, for one, am so appreciative that the scriptures are brimming with the stories of people who have struggled with the mystery and majesty of God in the very same way that I still do today.

In the Old Testament book of Jonah, God tells Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh. Instead, our boy Jonah heads west, in the complete opposite direction, to the city of Tarshish. God makes it clear to Jonah His feelings regarding Jonah's disobedience– God sends a storm as Jonah is traveling by boat and after admitting he has upset God, Jonah's crewmates throw him overboard in effort to save their own lives. Immediately the storm is calmed. As the Sunday School story goes Jonah was then swallowed (many translations say God "provided" a fish for Jonah!!) up in the belly of a fish for three days and three nights.

I spent most of my freshman year swallowed up in the belly of a fish, similarly unwilling to turn and go in the path of the Lord. Utterly convinced in the superiority of my ways over the plans and purpose of the will of God. As soon as I repented, admitted my need for a Savior in my life, and accepted His grace, the storms were stilled and blessings of the presence of God fell upon me.

In chapter two, from the belly of the fish, from deep disobedience, Jonah cries out to God. And though Jonah has distanced himself from God and the will of God, God answers him!

“I called to the Lord out of my distress,

and he answered me;

out of the belly of Sheol I cried,

and you heard my voice.

You cast me into the deep,

into the heart of the seas,

and the flood surrounded me;

all your waves and your billows

passed over me." –Jonah 2:2-3

Disobedience breaks God's heart and brings misfortune, but the path of obedience is the path littered with blessings.

In chapter three, Jonah repents! To repent literally means 'to turn', Jonah turned and walked in the way of the Lord, he turned from going to Tarshish (where pride and rebellion had called him) to Nineveh (where God had called him). An important thing to note about Nineveh is that it was the capital city of Assyria, Israel's worst enemy. In today's world, this would be pretty similar to an American missionary being sent to Pyongyang, North Korea, or Tehran, Iran. Despite any of Jonah's hesitations and disobedience through just one person a city of two million people repented and turned and worshiped Yahweh.

Another story you may be familiar with if you grew up in and around church– Hagar! In Genesis chapter twelve God establishes a hugely important covenant with this guy named Abram (his name later became Abraham, that part is a little bit confusing). One of the tenants of the covenant was that through Abraham and his wife Sarai “all the families of the Earth shall be blessed”. Except! They were old, as in past the age of childbearing old and did not already have any children. As a result of this conundrum that they foresaw playing a role in the PROMISES of God, they took things into their own hands (haven’t we all!) and decided to have a child by means of Sarah’s handmaid, Hagar.

Upon Sarah finding out that Hagar was pregnant, intense jealously manifested within Sarah and Hagar flees out into the wilderness. Likely very young pregnant and completely alone in the wilderness. God meets her. Hagar is an Egyptian, not a worshipper of Yahweh. Every god that she had ever served was carved out of stone or wood and something that she could see and touch and feel. But, confronted by the Holiness of God, Hagar exclaims ”you are a God of seeing" or one who sees me. An Egyptian slave gives name to God– EL ROI. Of all people in this story, God chose to reveal himself so beautifully to the lowest of the low.

God sees us so magnificently, hears and answers us in ways so glorious that we can only just begin to imagine no matter our radical disobedience, how far we have strayed, or the "wilderness" we find our serves in.

This is one thing that, oh man, I wish I had learned much earlier in my walk with God. I mean really learned, like not just heard and thought "oh neat", but like really got it! YOU CAN'T BE FAR FROM GOD. What do you think YOUR disobedience, YOUR prodigal-ness, YOUR (insert anything) isn't something He hasn't seen and forgiven a hundred times before. HE'S THE MAKER AND HOLDER OF YOUR HEART. If you know me you know that I yelling and clapping my hands as I type this. Boy, how passionately do I want whoever is reading this to understand this– it has changed everything about my life! He's worth your everything and there is nothing you can do to distance yourself from him.

Two amazing songs, I would 10/10 just resting in and absorbing. Let the lyrics wash over you.