Obedience or Storm?

Reading the book of Jonah this morning, and this verse really stuck out to me:

Jon 1:12  And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.

This is the story from the bible that we are all very familiar with. God speaks to Jonah to go into Nineveh and preach to them about their wickedness. Jonah doesn't find this call very appealing, as it could be dangerous and VERY unpleasant! These men of Nineveh are not exactly friendly folk. Not exactly the kind  of people you want to go and warn that their wickedness is not pleasing to God.  So as we know, Jonah jumps on a ship to go as far away from God's direction as he can. Maybe by changing location and destination, he will get lost amongst the people.... and slip away from God's orders. NOT! God of course knows where Jonah is, and never changes his mind about the commandment he gave him. You can sum up Jonah's actions in one word....DISOBEDIENCE!  So Jonah's calling follows him onto the ship. (You can NEVER run away from God's call on your life!) When the mighty storm rises and it looks like the ship is going under; the other men begin to cry out to their gods for help. Notice, Jonah is not! He knows God isn't hearing him in his time of disobedience. Now we come to verse 12. Jonah tells the men to cast him into the sea. He knows that it is HE that brought this storm upon the whole ship. The unfortunate part of disobedience is, that it brings storms into not only our lives, but also those around us! I have seen many families suffer because of the disobedience of one parent.  So I must be obedient to God. Not only for my sake, but for the sake of those around me! And obedience is not really a hard thing! What Jonah didn't understand is that God had already prepared the way for him! Revival was just around the corner for the city of Nineveh!  The city would repent and turn from their wicked ways. What an awesome God of mercy that we serve. Mercy... to give Jonah a second chance at obedience. Mercy......to allow Nineveh to repent and change their ways.  God, help me to be obedient to your directions; even when I don't like them! Now see I've talked about Jonah.....and I didn't even mention a whale :)

Prayer is.....

Why is it so hard to find time for daily devotions? Just a simple time of bible reading and prayer? It should be one of the basics of our christian walk. But of all the parts of my life, this is the one the devil fights the hardest. Why? Because it's the very KEY to everything! As my old pastor  used to say, " you are only as strong as your prayer life."  So if the devil can hinder you from daily communication with God...he's won the battle! He doesn't have to make you commit any great sin. Through prayer we become more spiritual, tear down strong holds, stand in the gap for the lost, intercede for others, worship the creator, and enter into the Holy of Holies! So ....now do you understand why the devil doesn't want you to pray? Prayer also keeps us understanding of the will of God in our life. One day without prayer can lead into a bad decision that puts us out of the will of God! If we've prayed that morning, we are more likely to be sensitive to the leading of God for that days choices.  Even if you live a holy life, do good deeds, go to church faithfully, and even work for God, you are not much of a threat to the enemy if you are not using the weapon of prayer!  Through prayer we are able to renew our minds to see things as God would have us to see them. So Lord, help me to make a strong prayer life the top priority in my life! Not just for MY sake, but for the sake of my family!