Jonah and Me...

I have a confession to make. It’s not an easy one to put out there and I didn’t want to but God continues to show me that through my transparency someone else might be helped. I’m praying that I don’t get struck by lightning like the old folks used to say. Okay…here goes… I’ve struggled with disappointment in God. Yep…I have. It has taken me a long time to identify what I was feeling and how it was even possible as a person of faith. Even now, I don’t want it to be true or to even write it but it’s a reality. I wanted God to do some things for me that from what I could see, He hadn’t done. I wanted Him to bring me out of some situations that He hadn’t brought me out of. I wanted Him to move in my time. Anyone else been there? When He didn’t move as I believed He would, it threw me off. I had prayed and fasted and believed but the situation was still there and I didn’t understand it. As a result, I struggled in my study time, my prayer time, and my praise. One day, God revealed to me what I was feeling and then He began to minister to me. I couldn’t believe it when I heard the word disappointment. There was no way I could be disappointed in GOD! But that was it and it was affecting our relationship. God loved me so much that once He revealed it, He showed me how to come out of it. He led me to the story of Jonah.

I'm sure you know the story but just in case let me catch you up. At the beginning of the book, The Lord tells Jonah to go to Nineveh and tell the people that He is going to destroy them for their wickedness. Jonah is not feeling that and goes the opposite direction and hides on a ship headed for Tarshish, trying to escape God. That plan does not work and the Lord disrupts the seas so much that the sailors on the ship throw Jonah over board once they discover the root of their problem. Jonah ends up in the whale/giant fish for 3 days and 3 nights. He has some alone time with God and has some major revelation and sees God for the deliverer that He is and God orders Jonah free of the fish.

 So…this is the part of the story that I always think about but what did Jonah have to do with disappointment? Then I realized that I had forgotten about what happened once Jonah was out of the fish. The Lord gives Jonah the command again and this time Jonah obeys. He goes to Nineveh and gives the word to the people. Then the problem that Jonah has begins. The people believe God’s word and declare a fast from the king to the animals. Everyone goes into prayer and repents in hopes that God will change His mind and He does. “When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened.” (Jonah 3:10 NLT)

“This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.” (Jon. 4:1-3 NLT) I started to see where God was going with me. Jonah had been proud of himself for being obedient and he wanted to be right in his declaration. And now God was going to turn around and seemingly make him out to be a liar. He was disappointed that God would put him out there for ridicule. Have you ever been like that with God? I’ve done all You asked me to do, God and yet I am unemployed. I’ve sacrificed for You, God and yet I am broke. I’ve shared Your Word, God and yet I am childless. It’s often difficult to see the purpose in the plan. But it’s there.

God responds to Jonah with a question. “Is it right for you to be angry about this?” (Jon. 4:4 NLT) Jonah has what appears to be a tantrum and goes off to see how things would turn out with the city. Anybody had a tantrum when God didn’t move like you thought He would? He is disenchanted and disappointed. God has a plant to grow over Jonah that shades him and the Bible says that Jonah was grateful for the plant. But then God sends a worm that kills the plant. If that’s not enough, a hot wind blows on Jonah and the sun get so hot that Jonah grows faint and wants to die. Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant? And he said, “It is right for me to be angry, even to death.” (Jon. 4:9 NLT) That’s deep! But then the Lord gives the answer. “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly.  But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?” (Jon. 4:10-11 NLT)  I realized at that moment that sometimes, you want so desperately for things to happen the way you have imagined that you can’t see what God is using youto do. You can’t see that He is using your obedience to bless someone else that can’t handle what you can. You find yourself putting your focus on what you thought was the provision or the answer and when it is removed, you can’t see beyond it.

It’s human nature to be disappointed when things don’t go your way. It’s happened to everyone. But where do you go with it? How do you fight back from it? God had to show Jonah that His kindness and mercy reached beyond the confines that he had put on Him. Sometimes He has to remove protection so that you can see the bigger picture of His plan. Sometimes, you won’t like how you feel but the result will be right. In order to step out of disappointment, you have to step away from your flesh. “For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws and it never will.” (Rom. 8:7 NLT) You have to know that you serve a God that cares for you. You have to recognize that He has a plan for your life even if the plan differs from yours. Don’t allow your plans, opinions, or ideas distract you to the point that you can’t see God’s hand upon your life. Though things may not go according to your vision, what God orchestrates will always be a thousand times better! Be encouraged and blessed!