Trial In Trusting

Jonah 4:1-3
This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became furious. 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.”

We tend to surround ourselves with people like us—People who hold similar views, handle situations the same, and think like us. We trust people who are like us and have a natural distrust for those who are different than us. The problem with this is we miss out. God made each of us different so that we can learn and grow from one another. The even bigger problem is God is not like us.

Leading up to Jonah 4, Jonah preaches that God will destroy the city of Ninevah. Jonah tells all of the people of God’s plan, and it is clear Jonah agrees with God’s plan. God then decides to spare the city because the king responded in humility and repented. Jonah was very displeased that God chose to respond in grace. He was angry that God’s way was different than his.

Just like the people we surround ourselves with, we tend to praise God when His ways line up with ours. If we continuously act in a way that is different from God, it can create distrust for Him in our hearts.

Thought of the day: What would it look like in your life to trust God’s plans, even when they don’t align with your ways?

Prayer: God, help me to trust You even when it doesn’t make sense. Your ways are higher than mine, and You are trustworthy. Amen.