Knowing Him Daily

18.October.2025

Obedience matters. Disobedience, no matter how small it appears, carries weight, sometimes instantly, sometimes over time, but always with consequences.

Jonah’s story is one of the clearest pictures of what happens when we try to outrun what God has spoken. God told Jonah to go to Nineveh, but instead of obeying, he went the opposite direction. It was not a moment of confusion or misunderstanding, it was a deliberate choice to run. Running doesn’t cancel the call of God, it only delays it, often creating a storm that grows louder until we face what we have been avoiding.

I imagine Jonah standing on the deck of that ship, the wind howling, the sea churning beneath him. Maybe he thought that distance would dull the sound of God’s voice. But God’s voice is not silenced by distance or drowned out by the waves. It finds us in the storm and calls us back, not because He delights in exposing us, but because His mercy refuses to let us settle for less than His will. The storm was not punishment as much as it was God’s pursuit, and relentless love refusing to let Jonah remain where he did not belong. It was not just Jonah who felt the cost. The sailors on that ship, ordinary men who had no part in his disobedience, found themselves caught in a storm they did not create. His private choice carried public consequences, shaking everything around him.

It is easy to judge Jonah until we realize how many times we have done the same thing in quieter ways. God nudges us, places a word in our hearts, gives a direction that we know is Him, and instead of moving toward it, we choose the other direction. It may be a spirit of fear, pride, resentment, or simply disobedience. But every time we run, there will be unrest that grows until surrender becomes the only way through.

“Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs” (Jonah 2:8). Jonah prayed those words from the belly of a great fish, swallowed whole by the very situation meant to bring him back to obedience. God could have chosen someone else, but He chose to reach Jonah again, because obedience matters to Him, and His mercy is not fragile. His mercy can follow us, even in the deepest waters, because His call still stands.

Jonah eventually obeyed, and an entire city turned to God. His detour cost him time, peace, and a storm that could have been avoided. Sometimes the greatest storms are not the ones around us but the ones within us, stirred up by our unwillingness to obey. God does not give up on us easily, but He will allow the winds to rise until we stop running and surrender to His plan. And just like those sailors, sometimes people around us feel the effects of storms they did not choose, because obedience or disobedience rarely affects only us.

Today, as we reflect, let’s listen to “Come What May” by We Are Messengers, a song that echoes the faithfulness of God even when we find ourselves in deep waters. His mercy reaches far, His call remains steady, and His heart still invites us back.

https://youtu.be/su3UNd3OR6E?si=1DuSgU1dfKgF_ozr

Jonah’s story reminds us that running doesn’t removes His call on our lives, it only deepens the storm. Achan’s story shows us another side of this truth, how even what is hidden away can shake the ground beneath us and touch more than just our own lives.

If you’ve never given your life to Jesus, or if you’ve walked away, trying to do life your own way it’s not too late. He’s calling you back. He’s been waiting.

Return to Him today. Surrender your plans, your pain, and your past. He’s ready to restore, renew, and realign you with your divine purpose.

~ Dear Heavenly Father ~

Thank You for sending Jesus to die on the Cross just for me. I admit that I have sinned, and I repent. I ask You to forgive me. I believe that He died and rose again. Right now, I make Him the Lord of my life. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. My sins are washed away, my past is forgiven, and my future is bright. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus’ Name Amen.

Make today count and see you tomorrow.