In The Same BoatSample

Spiritual Hissy Fits

YAY! Ninevah’s been saved! As we read last time, they all (from top to bottom) repented and mourned. They changed their ways and God relented from His promised destruction. What an awesome thing! What a glorious testament to God’s power! What bragging rights Jonah just earned for listening and obeying! I’d be strutting around with bells on proclaiming what a marvelous thing just occurred!

Pretty sure Jonah was too…

Let's take a look- from chapter 4, verse 1 (NIV emphasis mine), “But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry {wait… what?!?!} He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing 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. Now Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

If I didn’t know better, I’d say Jonah just tried an "I told ya so!" to God. He threw himself a spiritual hissy-fit. (For being a bit of a fraidy-cat, the man clearly had no worries confronting the God of the universe….yikes!) It is fascinating to me how, at the pinnacle of his success, Jonah is wallowing in his own selfishness. He was actually mad about God forgiving them! And this from a man who not 2-seconds earlier in the story was himself running away from God. I’m guessing he didn’t see the parallels in his own life…

As much as I’d love to point fingers at our wayward prophet’s hypocrisy here,  I’m not going to belabor the obvious point. Rather let’s do some self-evaluation-

REFLECTION:

The question here is this, what “Nivevites" in your life are causing you to stumble and throw a spiritual hissy-fit? 

Who has done you wrong, or what enemy do you have that has found God… and how do you feel about it? Anyone come to mind? 

How are you taking the news of their repentance- with skepticism, with joy, with anger (like Jonah), with thanksgiving?

I admit there’s been a few  people over the years that I had a hard time accepting into God’s family. It’s just the truth. But as we’ll read about tomorrow, the problem of dealing with our new family-members lies directly with us… in our hearts, between us and God. Start working on that now dear ones- search your heart and get it right with God. 

Instead of Jonah, use the Ninevites as your example.