SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/12/2025 9:22 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-2“The Lord’s Discipline”
Bible Reading and Meditation Reference: Jonah 1:4
Message of the verse: “But Yahweh hurled a great wind on the sea, and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship gave thought to breaking apart.”
It is my hope and prayer that many will look at the SD that I put onto my blog yesterday which spoke of the murder, (martyrdom) of Charlie Kirk as that SD is well worth reading it, for he was a man who was used by the Lord, and my hope that even though he is now in heaven his ministry will continue to be use by the Lord in a very special way.
One more thing, and that is that after a test that my wife had yesterday we found the very sad news that her cancer has spread to different parts of her body, and needless to say that this is very, very upsetting to us, and I ask for prayer for her that the Lord will give us great wisdom from above to show us what the next step will be for her in dealing with this terrible disease that she has so that the Lord will bring glory to Himself through this very difficult situation that we find ourselves in.
“The name Yahweh stresses God’s commitment to His elect, both to chastise them when they disobey (Pr. 3:11); Heb. 12:4-17) and to bring to Himself those on whom He has set His love (John 6:44; 10:16; Rom. 9:23-24).” Now this is the beginning of a quotation from John MacArthur’s commentary on Jonah, and has nothing to do with why I have just written above. “On this occasion, the Lord used the storm both to discipline Jonah and to draw the sailors to Himself. He hurled a great wind to incite a great storm on the sea. The Hebrew word for storm can encompass torrential downpours, hurricane-force winds, and flooding waters (cf. Ps. 55:9). Because of their fierce intensity, storms served as a metaphor for battle and the breakout of God’s wrath (Jer. 23:19; 25:32; 30:23; Amos 1:4). Though any storm would be fearsome, this storm was far from typical. It was great, beyond what any of the seasoned crew members had experienced before, causing them to be overcome with terror (cf. Johan 1:5, 10, 13). The tempest was so furious that the sailors knew it was not natural but supernatural (cf. 1:5).”
We know that this story came from the Lord with power and precision, as the Lord whipped up the sea exactly where Jonah was located. MacArthur then writes that “The omnipresence of God comforts the saints with the reality that they will never be lost from His protective gaze (cf. Ps. 139:7-12). But it also brings constant accountability (cf. Prov. 15:3). No sin is secret from God and no one can hide from His judgment (cf. Num. 32:23; Eccl. 12:14; Ezek 7:5-19; Hos. 10:8; Luke 12:2; Heb. 4:13; Rev. 6:16). As Ruler of heaven and earth (cf. Pss. 24:1-2; 50:12; 89:11; 98:7; Isa. 42:10), the Lord moved sky and sea to usher judgment with pinpoint accuracy upon a solitary ship carrying a stubborn stowaway.
“Even the boat recognized God’s hand of discipline. The storm was so violent that the ship gave thought to breaking apart. Most English translations simply state that the ship was about to fall apart, emphasizing the severity of the gale as it eviscerated the wooden vessel. But the Hebrew text personifies the ship as if it contemplated breaking into pieces. This anthropomorphic description of the boat is in line with how other objects are depicted throughout the book. The stormy gale (Jonah 1:4), the sea (1:15, the fish (1:17; 2:10), the plant (4:6), the worm (4:7), and the scorching east wind (4:8) were all immediately submissive to the Lord. Everything in the book reacted properly to Yahweh’s commands except for Jonah. The prophet’s disobedience warranted divine discipline, which is why the Lord hurled such a sudden and severe storm upon the sea.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: The “storm” that is going on in our lives is something that is difficult to take, but because God is in control, and never makes any mistakes, we both have to trust Him as we go through this storm, knowing that it will bring glory to Him, and cause us to grow in our faith and love for Him.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Trust the Lord to take us through this storm, so that we will grow in our love for Him.
9/13/2025 9:55 AM
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