stop hitting snooze on gods mission

There’s a moment in Jonah 1 that should shake every Christian awake:

“But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep.” (Jonah 1:5)

The world was in chaos. A storm raged. The sailors were terrified. Everyone was crying out for help — except God’s prophet, who was asleep.

Sound familiar?

Many believers today are spiritually asleep. The world around us trembles in fear, anxiety, and despair. Storms are raging — in families, workplaces, schools, and nations — yet too often followers of Jesus are snoring below deck.  We scroll through tragedy, complain about culture, and talk about revival — but few step into the chaos to bring hope.

 Jonah’s problem wasn’t ignorance; it was indifference. He knew God’s mission but didn't care about man's sinful condition. He ran from responsibility. And while he slept, the world suffered.

James 2:17 reminds us, “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” Passive Christianity is powerless Christianity. We can’t claim to serve a Savior who entered storms to save us, while we hide from the ones He sends us into.

When the captain shakes Jonah awake, he says, “Arise, call out to your God! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.” (Jonah 1:6).

Even unbelievers know that God’s people should be the ones praying, acting, and standing in the storm. The world expects us to rise.

This is a call to wake up, speak up, and give yourself up.

Wake up.

Open your eyes to the people around you who are crying out in fear. Your office, your neighborhood, your family — they are your sailors. You are there not by accident, but by assignment (Matthew 28:18–20).

Speak up.

You carry a message that can calm storms. The sailors didn’t know Jonah’s God until he spoke (Jonah 1:9–10). Likewise, people won’t know your Savior unless you tell them. Romans 10:14 asks, “How will they hear without someone preaching?”

Give yourself up.

When we surrender our pride, our comfort, our schedules, and our silence, God uses our obedience to bring peace to others. Jesus, whom we model our life after gave us the greatest example. By giving his life up for the world he made a way for us to step into a relationship with God the father.

Jonah gave his life up and the sea calmed the sailors went from fearing the storm to fearing the Lord (Jonah 1:16). That’s transformation!

The world doesn’t need us to be perfect; it needs us to be present. It needs Christians who will stop sleeping through the storm and start standing in the power of Christ.

The question is no longer, “Will God use me?”

It’s, “Will I wake up long enough to be used?”