One way decisions were made in the time of the Book of Jonah was by casting lots. Even among the Israelites, lots were sometimes cast to discern the divine will. With no one knowing why this storm had come upon the ship, the sailors began to cast lots. The lot fell on Jonah.

When Jonah faced questions about who he was, where he was from, why he was on the ship, and why his presence had brought on the storm, he shared his pedigree. He declared that he was a Hebrew and that he feared the Lord.

Yet his actions contradicted his confession. His words declared that he feared the Lord, the God who made the sea, the dry land, and the heavens. However, he was crossing that very sea in an attempt to flee from God’s presence.

His words and his actions diverged.

It makes me wonder how often the same can be true of us. Are there times when our confession of God says one thing, while our actions quietly say another?

Jonah’s storm exposed what his words had hidden. He confessed the Lord with his lips, yet his feet were carrying him in the opposite direction. The book of Jonah invites us to examine our own hearts. There may be moments when our mouths speak of trust, surrender, and reverence, while our choices reveal hesitation, resistance, and, at times, quiet rebellion. The mercy of God is that he does not expose us merely to condemn us, but to call us back. The storm that revealed Jonah’s wandering was also the means by which God began to turn him homeward.