Stirred By The Scriptures

Jonah is a fascinating character. He fought God all his life and even when God used him in a powerful way, Jonah wasn’t pleased. The last recorded event in Jonah’s life has him telling God he has the right to be angry at God and that is anger is strong enough to end his life. Jonah was angry with God because he didn’t like the way God had worked. Sound familiar? How many times is our anger with God because we don’t like his ways or his timing? I know that I have experienced this and in the not too distant past (like yesterday). Here is where I believe Jonah was wrong and where I am wrong as well. It is when I stay in my anger. I don’t believe the emotion of anger is wrong but when I refuse to move beyond it and in doing so refuse to trust God I am in a bad place. The ways of God are often confusing but in the end I either trust him or I don’t. I guess that sounds simplistic but it really isn’t. You can only reach that point after hard and honest struggle before God. I would rather end up where Job did (trusting God) than where Jonah was - an angry man.