1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly,[a] and he was angry. 2 And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. 3 Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” (Jonah 4:1-3 ESV)
Jonah’s story of rebellion is one that can be easy to overlook in the breadth of the scriptures. Yes, we all know the story of Jonah in the belly of the fish for three days, but his story is so much deeper than that.
You see, Jonah really hated the people of Nineveh. In fact, he wanted God to destroy them. But God had another plan and he used Jonah to enact that plan. But even after Jonah ran away, found himself in the belly of a fish, he argued with God about his mission to the point of desiring death over the mission. God literally drug Jonah kicking and screaming to do His will.
Rebellion sets up in many ways in our lives. It can be something outright and overt or it can be a subtle not listening to God’s voice. In either case our disobedience puts us at odds with God and God will not be thwarted. In fact, He may take us through some serious discomfort to get our attention and get us back on tract.
We need to look closely at how we are reacting to what God is asking us to do. We may be missing very clear divine appointments in a subtle rebellion toward God. Prayer and submission are key here to determine where we are wrong and how we need to adjust our lives and submit to His mission for our lives.
