A Lesson From Jonah

Apostle Grace Lubega

Jonah 4:10-11(MSG); GOD said, “What’s this? How is it that you can change your feelings from pleasure to anger overnight about a mere shade tree that you did nothing to get? You neither planted nor watered it. It grew up one night and died the next night. So, why can’t I likewise change what I feel about Nineveh from anger to pleasure, this big city of more than a hundred and twenty thousand childlike people who don’t yet know right from wrong, to say nothing of all the innocent animals?”

The Book of Jonah ends on an interesting note; it doesn’t end with Nineveh but with a conversation between Jonah and the Lord over Jonah’s unjustified anger about Nineveh’s repentance and the Lord’s subsequent mercy.

It ends with God dealing with His servant on a pertinent character issue; about the need to understand God’s heart and His mind.

In the grand scheme of things, the story of Jonah was about more than God delivering the city of Nineveh but the Lord dealing with His minister.

When you trace your steps backwards through the story, you will discover that whatever happened to Jonah was orchestrated by God to develop a certain character in him.

Look at the fish, the east wind, the guord and the worm.

Each time the scripture referred to these, it used the Hebrew word ‘manah’ which means to “appoint” or “prepare”.

God appointed and prepared the fish to swallow Jonah in Jonah 1:17; the Lord appointed and prepared a guord in Jonah 4:7; the Lord prepared and appointed a worm to destroy the guord in Jonah 4:7; the Lord prepared a vehement East Wind in Jonah 4:8.

All this goes to show that in all his ups and downs, God’s hand was present upon Jonah.

The end of it was to teach Jonah; to create in him a proper character of mercy and forgiveness.

Beloved saint, God is in your story no matter how it looks.

He is working through it all to grow you into the minister that you must become.

He is causing you to grow and to understand His mind.

See His hand in every situation no matter how ugly. He is working it for your good.

His name be praised!

FURTHER STUDY: Romans 8:28, 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

GOLDEN NUGGET:

God is in your story no matter how it looks. He is working through it all to grow you into the minister that you must become. He is causing you to grow and to understand His mind. See His hand in every situation no matter how ugly. He is working it for your good.

PRAYER: Loving God, thank you for this knowledge. It is a blessed assurance to know that your hand is upon me; you are in every detail of my life, working all things for my good. I choose to see your part God, not to observe any lying vanities but to behold your glorious mercies in every situation. No matter how bad, I see love. The worm worked for me, the east wind blew for me, the great big fish worked for me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.