Fear

 And he said to them, "I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land."
Jonah 1:9 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/jon.1.9.ESV

Jonah comes across pretty hypocritical here. Unless he'd had a sudden epiphany, he was running away from God's calling on his life. If he'd have feared God all along he wouldn't have disobeyed him.

To be fair to Jonah, his theology was correct. The Lord is the creator of all things. He is worthy of our fearful worship because He is sovereign over the storms of life.

Miraculously, Jonah's shoddy witness to the Lord inspired faith in the sailors he was with. They ended up worshipping God. God can use our faltering efforts to cause people to trust in Him.

If Jonah had obeyed God immediately, he'd never have had opportunity to witness to the sailors. God can even turn our disobedience round for good. He is able to bring positivity out of negative situations.

'Sovereign Lord, help us to obey You as we ought. Thank You that You can even turn our disobedience round for good. In Christ's name, amen'

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