DCLM Daily Manna 5 April 2026: Man Overboard
Text: Jonah 1:15
So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.
KEY VERSE: Jonah 1:11-17 (KJV)
Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous.
12 And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.
13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.
14 Wherefore they cried unto the Lord, and said, We beseech thee, O Lord, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O Lord, hast done as it pleased thee.
15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.
16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows.
17 Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
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According to Wikipedia, “Man overboard!” is an exclamation given aboard a vessel to indicate that a crew member or a passenger has fallen off the ship into the water and needs immediate rescue. Whoever sees the person fall is to shout, “Man overboard!” The call is then reported once by every crewman within earshot, even if they have not seen the victim fall. A person may fall overboard for any number of reasons: they might have been struck by one of the ship’s booms, lost their footing on a slippery deck or deliberately jumped overboard in a suicide attempt. Falling overboard is one of the most dangerous and life-threatening things at sea. This is the unbelievable route Jonah opted to take while running away from God.
On the ship to Tarshish, Jonah was identified as the reason for the storm threatening the lives of passengers and the general progress of the vessel. As a way forward, he told the mariners to throw him overboard so the storm could stop. The shipmasters were initially against the idea but eventually threw him overboard. Amazingly, the sea became calm once Jonah touched the water.
Many Christian leaders and preachers, like Jonah, are going in the wrong direction. They are disobedient to God’s plan and programme. By virtue of their leadership positions, they also have many followers in their “ships,” and if nothing is done, spiritual disaster will occur. However, while sailors usually strive to rescue people who fall overboard, the reverse is the case with Jonah.
He was thrown into the water to secure the lives of others. Jesus told the Pharisees, “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40). Man overboard is the picture of how a Saviour died so that others in the ship might be rescued.
The love of God for man is real and eternal. No one has any reason to go to hell since the Saviour has given His life for us. Like the mariners, we, too, must allow the sacrificial death of Christ to atone for our sins. Do that today, and you will not regret your decision.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: It’s only natural for us to live for Him who died so that we may live.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: John 13-15
DCLM Daily Manna 5 April 2026
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