“But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.” (Jonah 1:3)
There are seasons when loyalty starts to look like disobedience. When your commitment to people begins to compete with your commitment to God. When you know deep within that the boat you are on is no longer safe, no longer right, yet you stay, hoping things will get better. Surely the boat will be steadied again, you think. Maybe if you pray more, serve more, give more. But the truth is, not every storm can be rebuked. Some storms are God’s way of asking you to leave the boat entirely.
Some of us are holding on to relationships, partnerships, places, or paths that God never asked us to settle in. You were meant to pass through, but now you have unpacked your bags and called it home. The problem is, the boat is sinking and you know it.
Jonah’s boat is not your home. It never was. Jonah was running from God. And even though he paid the fare and boarded the boat with full conviction, his rebellion had consequences. That storm was not random. It was orchestrated by God Himself.
But some part of you already knew that….
Sometimes, the reason your life feels like it is rocking back and forth is not because God is punishing you, but because you are attached to someone else’s disobedience. You are not the Jonah, but you are on Jonah’s boat. And the shaking will not stop; until either you get off, or you help Jonah get off the boat.
This is not about throwing people away. It is about recognising when a connection is no longer safe or God’s will and discerning when God is asking you to step back so He can deal with someone directly.
Jonah said “Throw me into the sea, and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.” (Jonah 1:12)
Jonah knew. The sailors were still confused. In the same way you might be interceding, sowing seeds, praying spiritual gymnastics over something that God has already declared a closed chapter. You cannot save Jonah by staying on the boat, if anything you may lose your life trying to rescue him.
This boat could be anything:
A toxic friendship.
A wrong job or contract you took out of pressure, not because it was the will of God.
A romantic entanglement with someone God has clearly not sent.
A spiritual community you are too afraid to leave because of guilt or fear.
The tricky part is that you might be the only one trying to hold things together. Everyone else is asleep at the bottom of the boat, just like Jonah. (Jonah 1:5) You are the one crying, praying, cleaning up the mess, repenting on behalf of others, and wondering why it feels like you are drowning in someone else’s storm.
Brother…sister…Jonah’s boat is not your home. Let go…
Step aside so that God can confront what you are not called to carry. You are not the Saviour. God never asked you to die for Jonah. Jesus Christ already did. You do not have to go down with a ship God never sent you to board.
This does not mean you should despise whoever or whatever Jonah represents to you. If it is a person, by all means, pray for them. But do not pray for them inside a boat that is already capsizing. You need to be alive to intercede for them and see your prayers answered in their life. In fact, sometimes, love means stepping out so that you are not pulled under too.
Jude 1:23 says, “Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.” That means there is a way to care deeply without compromising your own obedience.
You can extend compassion without entanglement.
You can intercede from the shore instead of drowning in a storm that God is using to awaken them.
Scriptures For Further Studies:
– Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. (Proverbs 13:20)
– Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so? (Amos 3:3)
– Therefore, come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. (2 Corinthians 6:17)
– Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. (Proverbs 29:25)
– There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. (Proverbs 14:12)
