Day 4: Jonah’s Discomfort After the Whale

I’ve read the story of Jonah no less than 50 times.  Anyone with children has.  We usually focus on the part of the story where Jonah disobeys God and is swallowed by a giant fish where he spent 3 stinky days.  Then Jonah obeyed.

During my quiet time the other day, I read to the end of the story and stopped.

Jonah 3:10-4:11- I’ll start at 4:5

5Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. 6Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. 7But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. 8When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”

9But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”

“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”

10But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”

God brought Jonah both comfort and discomfort to teach him.  When God provided the shady plant to ease Jonah’s discomfort, he was very happy.  When God brought discomfort by destroying the plant, Jonah complained and wanted to die.

God is so mind-blowingly multi-faceted it leaves me speechless.

I can relate to Jonah here.  I despise being too hot or too cold.  In fact I become a grouch I don’t recognize when under the misery of heat.  I believe I would have had a stubborn response like Jonah as well.

God responds to Jonah in a way that inspires me in how to train my own children.  Through example and loving patience.

God reminds Jonah that he is focused on a plant that he neither planted nor tended.  He enjoyed the comfort it provided, which did not come from the work of his own hands.

God’s people are His.  His alone.  We didn’t create them, we didn’t tend to them.  The Lord did it all.  The Lord created each one of us and He cares passionately, deeply.  And He calls us to leave our comfort zone and bring the message of hope to the lost.  We are surrounded by the people of Nineveh today.   The Lord wants to spend eternity with every single person He has created.

He needs us to get uncomfortable.  He needs us to go to Nineveh, which isn’t as far away as we may think.  Will you go?

[box] Please read the entire text from the book of Jonah. Jonah was angry at the Lord’s compassion for His people. It’s a beautiful picture of God’s abounding love for us. [/box]

[box] This is Day 4 in a series, 31 Days to Get Uncomfortable With God. Please click here for a listing of all posts in this series. If you would like posts delivered to your inbox, please click here.[/box]