Read Jonah Chapter 4
I Just Want To Die!
It greatly displeased Jonah that the Lord showed compassion and abundant loving kindness toward Nineveh, and withholding his Wrath from them. Jonah burned with anger because of it. It really, really, really upset him. He was so distraught that he asked God to take his life. God responded with a question, “Do you have a good reason to be angry?”
Jonah isolated himself from Nineveh, and built a shelter to protect him from the sun. God caused a plant to grow overnight that protected Jonah from the Sun which greatly pleased Jonah and made him very happy. The next night God caused a worm to attack the plant so that it withered. In the morning, God appointed a scorching wind and sun to beat down on Jonah to the point that Jonah became faith and begged with all his soul to die. He said, “Death is better to me than life.” This is the second time Jonah wishes that he was dead, and this is the second time God asked the question, “Do you have good reason to be angry, even to death?”
Then the Lord told Jonah, you showed compassion for the plant which you had nothing to do with its growth and destruction. Should I, God, not have compassion for Nineveh, the great City of over 120,000 souls, who are lost in sin and foolishness, yet repented of their sin?”
It was like God was saying to Jonah, you put all your energy into what you wanted to see happen out of selfishness, that you missed what was really important, lost souls.
Have you ever lost focus of what’s truly important in life because you are so caught up with YOUR LIFE!!!!! Then when God doesn’t respond to your wishes and demands you become angry with God even to the point of wishing you were dead? Or even to the point where you think God is not real? Or that he’s not a compassionate or loving God?
The devil wants us to get angry with God. He wants us to feel hopeless, discouraged, and upset to the point we want to end our lives.
Please pray that God shows you what’s really important in life so that you get your focus off from SELF SELF SELF and on to the Lord and others (the two greatest commandments).
In fact, step back and see where all your energy is spent – on SELF or on the things of the Lord.
