Welcome to the Whispering Willow.
I'm Diana and this is the fourth and final installment in this series of lessons from the story of Jonah.
On day one we looked at the reasons we run away from God.
The next lesson was about how God can use our mistakes.
Then we talked about how God gives us second chances.
Today's lesson is about getting ahead of God.
Get comfortable and join me for this final brief meditation on lessons from the story of Jonah.
When Jonah obeyed the Lord and went to Nineveh,
The result was positive.
They turned from wickedness and the Lord took compassion on them.
Jonah should have been happy,
But instead he became angry.
Jonah 4-2 states,
He prayed to the Lord,
Oh Lord,
Is this not what I said when I was still at home?
That's why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish.
I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God,
Slow to anger and abounding in love.
A God who relents from sending calamity.
The reason for Jonah's anger is part theological and part human.
Nineveh was part of Assyria,
An empire that oppressed Israel.
So Jonah likely felt fear and a desire for justice and revenge.
When God was merciful,
Jonah may have felt some conflict between his national loyalty and his understanding of God's universal compassion,
Even to outsiders or our enemies.
To teach Jonah about the dangers of selective empathy,
God grew a plant to shade Jonah and then allowed all of his enemies to eat it.
He then sent a worm to destroy it,
Contrasting the blessings of temporary comfort with care for human lives,
And reframing mercy as compassion and care,
Not weakness.
Then God effectively says,
You cared about a plant you didn't create.
Shouldn't I care about an entire city full of people I did?
I'm paraphrasing here.
But the story of Jonah ends with this question,
Allowing the reader,
Along with Jonah,
To reflect on the answer.
Sometimes,
Even when we're walking with God,
Tend to run ahead of him.
Once again,
The Lord taught Jonah a lesson he already knew.
When we release the reins and give God control,
We're free to obey and serve completely.
I hope you've experienced the overwhelming mercy and compassion of God as you go through your day today.
Thank you for joining me in this mini-series of Reflections on Jonah.
If you would enjoy more offerings like this,
Please leave a message in the comments,
And give me suggestions for anything you would like to hear.
