How to Survive 2025’s Turmoil? The Answer Is in Jonah’s Journey

Could a Runaway Prophet Teach Us How to Navigate Today’s Crisis?  ABSOLUTELY!

At the very beginning of the book, in Jonah 1:2, God commands Jonah: "Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because their evil has come up before me." But do you know what Jonah did next? Instead of obeying, he immediately fled—not toward Nineveh, but in the complete opposite direction! That’s as clear a "No, God, I won’t go" as you’ll ever see.

Here’s how the book of Jonah begins:

Jonah 1:1-3 (CSB)"The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 'Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it because their evil has come up before me.' Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish from the Lord’s presence. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the Lord’s presence."

Jonah’s immediate reaction was to run—an outright refusal of God’s command. But as we know, God had other plans for him.

Jonah didn’t just run from God's command—he fled from the Lord’s presence and boarded a ship heading in the opposite direction toward Tarshish. But God wasn’t about to let him escape so easily. What did God do? He sent a violent storm upon the sea, so fierce that it threatened to tear the ship apart.

The sailors, terrified for their lives, each cried out to their own gods, desperate for help. In a frantic effort to save themselves, they threw their cargo overboard, hoping to lighten the ship. Meanwhile, where was Jonah? Was he crying out to God like the others? No. Instead, he went deep into the ship, found himself a cozy spot, and fell into a deep sleep—completely indifferent to the chaos raging around him.

Do you see Jonah’s character here? This is full-blown disobedience. Not only did he run from God, but he showed no concern at all for the consequences. Did he really think he could hide from God? And how was he able to sleep so soundly in the middle of such a violent storm?

It seems that Jonah feared preaching to the people of Nineveh more than he feared the storm. He was so determined to avoid God's command that he wasn’t even willing to consider it. Instead of wrestling with his conscience or crying out to God like the sailors, he simply checked out—choosing sleep over obedience.

The Bible repeatedly warns against spiritual slumber—a state of complacency, negligence, or avoidance of responsibility. Here are key scriptures that emphasize the dangers of slumbering when action and awareness are required:

Proverbs 6:9-11 (Laziness and Poverty)

"How long will you stay in bed, you slacker? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the arms to rest, and your poverty will come like a robber, your need, like a bandit."🔹 Warning: Slumber leads to ruin—physically, spiritually, and financially.

Proverbs 24:33-34 (Neglect Leads to Destruction)

"A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the arms to rest, and your poverty will come like a robber, and your need, like a bandit."🔹 Warning: Repeated word-for-word from Proverbs 6—showing strong emphasis that neglect has consequences.

Romans 13:11 (Wake Up—Salvation is Near!)

"Besides this, since you know the time, it is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep, because now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed."🔹 Warning: Time is short—wake up to God’s calling and stop delaying repentance.

But the captain noticed Jonah sleeping and, furious, confronted him, demanding that he call upon his God to save them so they wouldn’t perish. The sailors, already suspicious that Jonah might be the reason for the storm, decided to cast lots—and sure enough, Jonah was singled out as the culprit.

When the sailors cornered him, pressing him with questions—"Who are you? Where are you from?"—Jonah answered, "I am a Hebrew. I worship the Lord, the God of the heavens, who made the sea and the dry land." The men were terrified because they already knew Jonah was fleeing from the Lord’s presence. At Jonah’s own command, he told them to throw him overboard so that the sea would calm, admitting that he alone was to blame.

Before resorting to such drastic measures, the sailors made a final attempt to row back to shore, unwilling to throw him into the raging sea. But it was no use—the storm only grew worse. In desperation, they cried out to the Lord, pleaded for mercy, and finally, with no other option, threw Jonah overboard.

Doesn’t Jonah sound like his own worst enemy? How many storms in our lives are caused by our own choices—by running in the wrong direction? Yet, what does God do? Instead of letting Jonah drown, He appoints a great fish to swallow him. And Jonah remained there for three days and three nights. It’s in the belly of that fish—when he has no way out, no escape—that Jonah finally prays.

Jonah, overwhelmed and near death, cries out to God from Sheol, the realm of the dead. He acknowledges that he has been cast into the sea, engulfed by its waters, and feels abandoned. Yet, in faith, he turns his eyes toward God’s holy temple. As he sinks deeper, God intervenes, pulling him from the pit of destruction. Jonah realizes that those who cling to idols forsake true love and mercy, but he chooses instead to offer thanks and fulfill his vows. His prayer ends with a powerful declaration: “Salvation belongs to the Lord.”

For the second time, God commands Jonah to go to Nineveh and proclaim His message. This time, Jonah obeys and preaches that in forty days, Nineveh will be destroyed.

The response is immediate and dramatic—the people of Nineveh believe God, declare a fast, and put on sackcloth as a sign of repentance, from the greatest to the least. When the king of Nineveh hears the message, he steps down from his throne, removes his royal robe, and humbles himself in sackcloth and ashes. He then issues a decree for everyone—including animals—to fast, pray, and turn from their wickedness, hoping that God may relent from His anger.

Seeing their genuine repentance, God spares Nineveh and does not bring the disaster He had threatened.

Jonah is furious that God showed mercy to Nineveh instead of destroying it. He complains to God, admitting that this is why he initially fled—because he knew God is compassionate and slow to anger. In his frustration, Jonah wishes for death.

God challenges Jonah’s anger, but Jonah remains stubborn and goes outside the city to see if God will still destroy it. God causes a plant to grow, providing Jonah shade, which pleases him. But the next day, God sends a worm to destroy the plant and a scorching wind to make Jonah miserable. Again, Jonah wishes to die.

God confronts Jonah’s misplaced priorities: he grieves over a temporary plant but has no concern for the 120,000 people of Nineveh. God ends with a rhetorical question, emphasizing His right to show mercy to those who are spiritually lost.

However, Jonah’s struggle with God’s grace resurfaces when Nineveh repents, and God spares the city. Jonah values his own comfort over the lives of more than 120,000 people, revealing his selfish perspective. He resents God’s mercy while God desires repentance over destruction. To expose Jonah’s hypocrisy, God uses a plant as an object lesson—Jonah mourns its loss, yet he shows no compassion for the people of Nineveh. This stark contrast reveals Jonah’s inability to grasp the depth of God’s love.

The book ends with a striking unanswered question, as God challenges Jonah’s narrow-mindedness and self-interest. If Jonah can care for a fleeting plant, how much more should God care for an entire city of lost souls? This open-ended conclusion forces readers to reflect on their own hearts. The story of Jonah is both prophetic and personal, reminding us that no one is beyond God’s reach. It highlights God’s boundless compassion while exposing the pride and resistance that often exist within human hearts.

Jonah’s story reveals two sides of the same coin—on one side, we see his selfishness, defiance, and attempt to flee from God’s presence for his own comfort, even at the cost of putting others in danger. On the other side, after being swallowed by the great fish, he has a change of heart and obeys God—not necessarily out of pure willingness, but because God cornered him into submission. When the pressure was on, Jonah complied—but only temporarily.

Later, when God spares Nineveh after their repentance, Jonah becomes furious. He forgets the mercy God showed him in the belly of the fish and instead resents the mercy God extends to an entire city. What does this say about Jonah? He wanted God’s grace for himself but wasn’t willing to see it given to others—especially those he viewed as unworthy.

Have you ever looked at someone who has done terrible things, yet received God’s mercy and grace, and found yourself upset by it? If we’re honest, most of us have—at least to some degree. But God makes it clear that this attitude is wrong. Just as He showed Jonah his own hypocrisy, He challenges us to recognize that His mercy is not just for us—but for everyone, even those we struggle to forgive.

What the people of Nineveh did is exactly what we should be doing right now for our nations. They humbled themselves, repented, and turned from their wicked ways—and in response, God relented from His judgment. This is a clear message: Our repentance can shift God’s hand of judgment.

Look around—fires, businesses burning, explosions, plane crashes, and chaos seem to fill the headlines daily. The start of 2025 has been anything but peaceful. But God’s mercy is still waiting. His judgment is never without cause, yet His mercy is always ready for those who turn back to Him.

Can you take a moment—get on your knees, sit in a quiet place, and truly repent? Not just for yourself, but for your family, your city, and your nation. Do you see how powerful that can be? Individually and collectively, we have the ability to hold back the wickedness trying to consume our lives. The question is—will we take that step, or will we ignore the warning signs?

Amanda Allen, the author of Kingdom Revelations, holds the copyright to her works and art. Copyright © Amanda Allen, Kingdom Revelations, 2025. All rights reserved. This article may be shared with acknowledgment of the author and the original source.