1. Having been made or come into being only a short time ago; recent: a new law.
2. 1. Still fresh: a new coat of paint.
   2. Never used or worn before now: a new car; a new hat.
3. Just found, discovered, or learned: new information.
4. Not previously experienced or encountered; novel or unfamiliar: ideas new to her.
5. Different from the former or the old: the new morality.
6. Recently obtained or acquired: new political power; new money.
7. Additional; further: new sources of energy.
8. Recently arrived or established in a place, position, or relationship: new neighbors; a new president.
9. Changed for the better; rejuvenated: The nap has made a new person of me.
10. Being the later or latest in a sequence: a new edition.
11. Currently fashionable: a new dance.
12. New In the most recent form, period, or development.
13. Inexperienced or unaccustomed: new at the job; new to the trials of parenthood.

The Opposite Direction
“But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port” (Jonah 1:3).

Tarshish was about 2,000 miles in the opposite direction of Nineveh. Notice the Scripture says that Jonah “went down” to Joppa. This was the first of many downward steps he’d take in the next several hours.

And isn’t it interesting he just happened to find a ship ready to sail in the opposite direction? Guess what! Whenever you’re running from the call of God, Satan has a ship all ready for you to set sail. It’s always easy to run away, but it’s never right.

“Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up” (Jonah 1:4).

Sometimes God allows storm in our lives; other times He sends them. But the purpose of a storm is always to bring His children safely into port. If you’ll read the gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, you’ll notice the disciples also faced storms. God used those storms to strengthen His followers and to develop His disciples.

“All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep” (Jonah 1:5).

Jonah wasn’t sleeping because he was at peace with God. Jonah was asleep because he was rebelling against God, and he was so weighed down by sin, he simply pulled the covers over his head and checked out for a while.

Maybe you’ve been there. You know you’re not right with God, and you’re so tired of the struggle, it simply seems easier to go to bed and hide under your favorite blanket. It’s an escape, isn’t it?

Obedience
I guess it all comes down to obedience, doesn’t it? Jonah really really really didn’t want to go to Nineveh. But after he obeyed, God brought revival to a once-wicked city.

Is there something in your life God is asking you to do that you’ve been struggling with? Maybe, like Jonah, you’ve even run the opposite direction. If you’re tired of the storm, weary from the fight, it’s time to simply STOP and OBEY.

Think about it: If you were actually obedient to God in every area of your life, what would that mean? What would change? What would your present look like? Your future?