Awaken: Willfully Asleep

Jonah, a prophet instructed by God to deliver a message to the city of Nineveh, decided to resist this divine command. Instead of heading towards his intended destination, he willfully chose to flee from God's presence and boarded a ship bound for Tarshish, sailing in the opposite direction. His determination to escape his responsibilities led him to a place where he believed he could avoid the task laid before him by God.

As the ship sailed, a mighty storm arose, threatening to break the vessel apart and endangering the lives of all aboard. The crew, terrified and desperate, cried out to their various deities and threw the cargo overboard, hoping to lighten the ship and survive the tempest. In the midst of this chaotic scene, Jonah had withdrawn to the lower part of the ship, where he had fallen into a deep sleep, seemingly indifferent to the commotion and danger above.

By sleeping during the storm, Jonah illustrates his detachment from his mission and responsibility, opting to ignore the perilous outcome of his choices. His attempt to dwell in a place that God had not called him to resulted in not only physical distance from God's directive but also a disregard for the consequences of his flight. Although Jonah tried to evade his divine duties, the situation aboard the ship underscored that one cannot easily escape the call or presence of God. God, in His sovereignty, sent the storm to redirect Jonah's path, prompting a confrontation with his actions and a profound realization of the necessity to fulfill the call he had initially rejected.