Anger is for the most part tough to suppress. Many of we human beings are built like steam pots...we begin the process of heating up until finally we spew hot air everywhere.
You don't have to act like you are perfect and never struggle with this emotion. Believe me - everyone around can see and sometimes feel the force of your 'steam'.
It is truly amazing how may times we spew that anger towards our creator. We claim to be this great man or woman of faith - we take that step off the cliff of our 'comfort zones' to show what a brave spiritual follower of Christ we are - we speak to anyone who will listen that we are willing to go wherever He chooses to take us...and THEN. Then He chooses to take us 'there', and we get angry.
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| (Inner Harbor) Baltimore City, MD |
From the time I attended my first S.S. Class, Jonah has always been one of the most intriguing lessons in the Bible. I mean, this guy got swallowed by a fish. If that is not intriguing, then you cannot be intrigued.
God told him to go to Ninevah to preach to the city that judgement was coming because of their wickedness. He refused. He got on a boat. He was thrown overboard. He was swallowed by a great fish. He cried out to God. Fish spits him out. NOW he is willing. He preaches to the city what God said He was going to do. They repent. God shows mercy to them and doesn't destroy them. JONAH GETS ANGRY.
After all I've been through getting here to deliver your message, and You show mercy?!
(Jonah 4:1-3) NLT
This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. 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.”
Then God (in Vs. 4) made a statement to Jonah that has challenged my world as of late:
"Is it right for you to be angry about this?"
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| (Walkway - Inner Harbor) Baltimore City, MD |
We take these obedient steps to follow Christ and 'things' appear to get worse.
(All the while it 'appears' for others that mercy is continuously shown)
After all I've been through to get to this point, things are not working out the way I had planned.
Look God...my future is on the line here.
I guess I enjoy reading about Jonah's life so much because I can relate to his way of thinking. It was so selfish. Jonah was so concerned about his stuff, that he couldn't see that it is always about 'others'.
Our anger can grow so blinding, that we forget THE work that God is doing through us.
We (I do anyway) like to think that when we take our leap of faith into Gods plan that it is all about us. God is going to make me this. God is going to use me to do that. The 'blessings' are just going to come pouring in on my terms.
Then God starts doing the REAL work in us...and we get angry.
"Is it right for you to be angry about this?" (via Jesus Christ)
