It does matter, you know, who is sailing through life with you. The sailors who boarded the ship with Jonah had no idea that the runaway prophet was about to seriously endanger their lives and their profits.
Jonah chapter 1:
But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish…But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them…And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So, they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us…” And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.
Priscilla Shirer writes the following:
“The simple seafaring mission they’d planned on taking became a death-defying voyage that cost them their cargo and made them doubt for a long time that they would ever see dry land again. This is why you must watch your boat, sailor. Take great care in choosing those you intend to travel any distance with…But before you enter another work arrangement or binding contract or serious friendship that seems like it’s going somewhere positive, see if their heart is tender toward God and submitted to His way…Because if a storm of discipline is coming in somebody else’s life, you don’t want to be in the line of fire.”
But all the scriptural examples are not negative. The apostle Paul took a mandatory S.S. Minnow voyage as a prisoner for his faith. He even warned them that they were heading into dangerous waters.
The story is in Acts 27.
“the voyage was now dangerous…Paul advised them, saying, ‘Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.’ But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said…the majority decided to put out to sea from there. But soon a tempestuous wind-struck down from the land. And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along…When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned…
Paul stood up among them and said…’I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ So, take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.
But the centurion-ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so, it was that all were brought safely to land.”
For Paul’s sake, when the ship went down, God spared not only his life but also everyone else on board! Not a bad idea if the ship is sinking to be close enough to grab the coattails of the guy who is hearing from God when he jumps overboard!
So, we know we should avoid the Jonahs running from God and stick with the Pauls who are going to get to shore. But what about us? Which one are we, Jonah or Paul?
Are we the prophet who has the word of the Lord but is heading away from the will of God and threatening to take everyone down with us?
Or are we the apostle that even if the ship goes down, will pray everyone under the divine protection of his God and leave no one behind?
We are all on the ship of life. Will we endanger everyone around us by running from God, or will we save everyone around us by sheltering them under the divine protection of a life in the center of God’s will?