Obedience vs. Rebellion - which one will God use?

Jonah said to the men, “I know I did wrong—that is why the storm came on the sea. So throw me into the sea, and the sea will become calm.” Instead, the men tried to row the ship back to the shore, but they couldn’t do it. The wind and the waves of the sea were too strong—and they were becoming stronger and stronger. (Jonah 1:12-13)

If you are anything like me, you have probably tried any number of ways to figure out a solution that seemed quite a bit harder than you'd like it to be, all the while having been given the 'right answer', but choosing to ignore it in pursuit of 'any other solution'. The issue with 'any other solution' is that it rarely proves to be 'easier' or 'the best'. When we are told clearly what we need to do and ignore it in pursuit of anything else, we can be sure the work we are putting into the 'solution' will fall short of fixing the issue.

The seas were rocking the boat, it was taking on water from the rough seas, the winds were fierce, but these sailors are going to 'row back to shore'? How realistic is that? They are having a tough enough time trying to 'ride it out', much less escape it! The issue was Jonah's disobedience. The answer was to send him to the sea. The dilemma was that no sailor wanted to abandon a passenger into the depths of the sea if they weren't doing so for a burial at sea! Sometimes the solution seems a little odd or 'out of the realm of normal', but when God gives the solution, we would do well to listen.

So the men cried to the Lord, “Lord, please don’t say we are guilty of killing an innocent man. Please don’t make us die for killing him. We know you are the Lord, and you will do whatever you want.” So the men threw Jonah into the sea. The storm stopped, and the sea became calm. When the men saw this, they began to fear and respect the Lord. They offered a sacrifice and made special promises to the Lord. (vs. 14-16)

Did the sailors feel tremendous guilt in following through on what Jonah advised? Absolutely. Did they see any other way? Nope. Could it be that even Jonah's disobedience would give these sailors a chance to see the power of the one true God, some of which I am sure were not following the Lord because they were to 'praying to their gods' to calm the seas? We'd like to think God could use our rebellion and disobedience in a positive manner, wouldn't we? God can use ANYTHING or ANYONE to share the truth about who he is, but he'd much rather do so through our actions of obedience instead of those of our rebellion! Just sayin!