Which are you?

In my bible reading of the old testament, I started the book of Jonah chapter 1. It's a good thing it's a short chapter because God showed me six pages of my notebook worth of learning lessons from Jonah. I was really pierced with what He showed me, and hope it will be a help for you too.

It never pays to flee...
"Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah...But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD"
Jonah is running away physically but also spiritually. He must not of realised that we must worship in truth and in spirit. If we expect to be able to just be physical with God, we need to expect that God will be physical with us.

Steps of what happened.

1. Lord talks to Jonah in his heart
2. Jonah's heart rejects it
3. Jonah, in the flesh, flees
4. God sends a storm to get Jonah's attention
5. The ships mariners are afraid for their life
6. Mariners prefer to save EVERYONE'S life
7. God is stronger, mariners throw Jonah overboard as he asks
8. Jonah is put into a whales belly, apart from everyone

vs. 4 Even the mariners were afraid and called unto their god, knowing it was a physical storm which was begun by something/someone spiritual. They acknowledge that the spiritual and physical are connected. (Proverbs 3:6 "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.")

vs. 5 "Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that [were] in the ship into the sea, to lighten [it] of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep."
It's amazing how someone who decides to ignore God can really be able to block Him out completely! Jonah is able to sleep physically and spiritually, while the others who acknowledge that "a god" was angry and they had to do all they could to save the ship and themselves yet, here is Jonah, sleeping in the bottom of the ship. He hides where, I'm assuming, the storm is felt less.

My question...
Is Jonah doing anything wrong? Other than running from God... is he doing anything wrong?
No, there's nothing wrong with taking a trip. He could help upstairs but, he's not being outwardly wicked or sinful. This is a justification we and others often used to deny being away from God.

God is definitely trying to get His point across.

The ship masters go to Jonah and ask him to go to his God and ask for mercy on them.

My question...
Are we in a ship with other people? Our church is a ship with others in it, our family, your workplace, class etc. They are people who depend on us to have a right and good relationship with God, so we can go to Him when others need Him to grant mercy, help, guidance, provision, encouragement etc.
The people in our ship are depending on us to be walking with God, not hiding from Him.

Definition of hiding:

1. to conceal from sight; prevent from being seen or discovered
2. to obstruct the view of; cover up
3. to conceal from knowledge or exposure; keep secret

Synonyms: screen, mask, cloak, veil, shroud, disguise, dissemble, suppress.

vs. 9 & 10, Jonah knew who he was and who God was so... I'm not sure if Jonah saw the connection between his running from God and the storm that God was allowing; risking other people's life, just to get Jonah's attention. He was either in denial or not very intelligent, maybe just not spiritually mature.

vs. 12 Jonah suggests that they throw him overboard to calm the storm. He thinks it would be easier to die than have to obey God and walk daily with Him. Obviously, God disagrees.

vs. 13 The men cared more about this stranger, Jonah, than he did for them. They tried to row the ship (the family, the church etc.) without his help but God wanted Jonah's attention so they weren't able to bring the ship to shore.

vs. 15 Question...
Will it take the ship's people to throw us out into the sea for God to deal with us and not have others to be affected because of our distance towards Him?

God prepares a fish for Jonah, unfortunately, it's not for food to eat (lol) but to segregate him.

In the pit of the stomach of a whale... ewwww! Can you imagine the smell, the "gooeyness" of the moist flesh and food that he was surrounded with? The bile all over him.... I wonder if he STILL thought dying was easier than getting right with God and walking with Him (again verse 6 of the 3 proverbs) acknowledging Him in every step of his life.

What will it take God, to get our attention and just trust in Him, follow Him and walk the path He has for us as individuals? Will we put God in a position of having others in our ship, to suffer because of our hiding or avoiding God? Shame on us!

The "Hiding Place" was good for the Jews in the "Ten Boom" home but, as a child of God, there is no hiding place but in His bosom.

I need to pay attention to my "crew" and to my relationship with Christ.