Fear is growing in America, but not all fear is created equal. The story of Jonah reveals the difference between healthy and unhealthy fear. Healthy fear moves us toward good decisions and keeps us safe, while unhealthy fear paralyzes us or drives us toward wrong choices. When God called Jonah to preach to the brutal Assyrians in Nineveh, Jonah’s understandable fear of death led to an unhealthy fear of God – he ran in the opposite direction. Meanwhile, the pagan sailors on his ship demonstrated healthy fear when they recognized God’s power and responded with worship. God pursued Jonah with a storm and a great fish, not to punish but to redirect him back to his calling.
