JONAH AND THE WORM

We all know the story of the Old Testament Prophet, Jonah. God wanted him to go to Nineveh to but he didn't want to. He knew if he went that God would have mercy on them and they would repent. There was this big fish...well you know the story. The bottom line is Jonah finally followed God's will and the entire city – including the government leaders – repented! One would think this would have excited Jonah. But you would be wrong. Instead, Jonah sat sulking on a very hot day.

We know the familiar story about Jonah and the whale, but what about this worm God used to get Jonah's attention as he sat sulking? You can check it out in Jonah 4:5-11.

From this passage we see God responded in tenderness toward the prophet. The Lord extended grace to Jonah, even when his heart was obviously not right with God. The Lord graciously allowed a vine to grow over the prophet's hut to give him shelter and comfort. Isn't it a blessing to know that even when we walk outside the will of the Lord, God still looks after us and blesses us? How many times has He continued to bless and use you even when you were out of His will?

God also responded by teaching about priorities. Just as Jonah was beginning to enjoy the vine, God sent a worm to destroy the vine. Jonah gets even angrier. This time, God sets the record straight! He reminds Jonah that Jonah cared more about a vine than he did the souls of the people of Nineveh. People made in the image of God and people who would have perished had He not intervened!

We tend to get upset about things that simply don't matter. Think about the last thing that made you mad. Now, ask yourself this question: What will it matter in 100 years?

Folks, the only thing that really matters as we pass through this life is finding God's will and walking in it! People are going to hell and we are worrying about vines and other comforts. Our priorities need to be refocused and narrowed until we want only what He wants in our lives.

What has your attention today? Jonah didn't care about the eternal destiny of the people of Nineveh! All he cared about was his reputation as a prophet and the foolish prejudices he carried with him through life. He learned, or at least we hope he did, that God's will in this world is all that really matters.

Isn't it time we put aside all the things that cloud our vision of His will? Isn't it time we put aside our hurts, our desires and our wills so that we might be better able to do His will in our lives?

Jonah suffered because he didn't care about God's will. What do you care about today? If anything is more important to you than doing the will of God, then you are in need of refocusing your priorities.

Until next time...enjoy the journey!

Ray

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