Jonah was greatly displeased
and became angry that God did not carry out the evil
he threatened against Nineveh.
He prayed, “I beseech you, LORD,
is not this what I said while I was still in my own country?
This is why I fled at first to Tarshish.
I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God,
slow to anger, rich in clemency, loathe to punish.
And now, LORD, please take my life from me;
for it is better for me to die than to live.” (Jon 4:1-3)
Reputation.
That is what it appears to be about today.
That is what it appeared to be about thousands of years ago.
Reputation.
Specifically, Jonah was angry because his reputation was tarnished. After all, he did the bidding of God. He went throughout Nineveh, telling them that God was going to destroy them.
The only problem?
God did not destroy them.
Why?
Because they repented.
Jonah was furious. He argued with God and then withdrew into seclusion, wanting to die.
We all have to face a very important fact: God knows what He is doing. We do not know the plan of God. All we can do is embrace God’s will and allow Him to lead and guide us.
We are the ones who are supposed to do God’s bidding. God is not supposed to do ours.
The sooner we learn that lesson the better off we will be.
FAITH ACTION: Is there anything in your spiritual life that is in discord? Has God “displeased” you some way? Give that frustration over to Him and know His peace.