What Happns When I Backslide?

Jonah (Part 1)

I won't go into explaining the whole story of Jonah, but I did observe some interesting things...

What Happens When I Backslide?

1. I put others in danger, and they are aware of the problem before I am.
Jonah was as it said fleeing "from the presence of the Lord"--backslidding. God had clearly told him what to do, and he had no intention of following that plan, in fact, he tried to go the exact opposite direction. I find it interesting that during in a severe storm "so that the ship was like to be broken" Jonah is fast asleep---completely oblivious to God's wrath and power.
I think that happens when we backslide sometimes...those around us realized the danger and destruction before we do. They don't understand the cause of it, but they notice something's definitely wrong. But here we are content in our own little world even uncaring that others are in danger because of our wrong choices.

2. I have to admit I have fled from God to others--revealing my stupidity even to the unsaved.
Jonah lets the other sailors know why the storm is happening. I can imagine as he's telling this to them the storm raging as he talking. Waves pounding the ship, the ship rocking to and fro. These sailors are then absolutely amazed that Jonah would flee from God's presence--the one Jonah claimed made the sea and the dry land. Even unsaved people find it very stupid for a Christian to be backslidden.

3. I have to be willing to suffer the consequences of my actions.
The sailors tried every which way to fix the problem logically. Less weight, etc, but Jonah knew the only thing that could calm the storm--he must yield to the consequence. I don't see anywhere in the Bible that shows that he knew he was going to be swallowed by a fish. Perhaps he thought he was just going to die. He probably hoped that was going to be so---better than having to go back to Ninevah.
**Side note: The Bible says of the sailors "Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly..." I think of that verse in Proverbs "Smite the scorner and the simple will beware..." God didn't just punish Jonah for his sake, but for the sailors, too. He took something bad--Jonah's disobedience--and used it for good in these sailors lives.

4. When I'm willing to be truthful, God provides another path--sometimes quite unexpected.
It wasn't until after Jonah was cast in that "the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah". I never noticed before that Jonah said.."the weeds were wrapped about my head", so obviously Jonah was struggling in the water for a while. And until he said "When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came into thee." It's wasn't until he was literally at the rock bottom he remembered God.
This verse jumped out at me too...
2:8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.

When I am so wrapped in believing the lies of my own backslidding life, I forfeit mercy. I can never be forgiven if I never admit the truth. I think of that verse "Let not mercy and truth forsake thee" God cannot forgive until the truth comes out.