Thanking God outside our comfort zone

Jonah 4:6–8 And the LORD God prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So, Jonah was very grateful for the plant. But as morning dawned the next day God prepared a worm, and it so damaged the plant that it withered. And it happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah’s head, so that he grew faint. Then he wished death for himself, and said, ‘It is better for me to die than to live.

A healthy spiritual life is a life of gratefulness towards God, whether things are going well or not. Being thankful for the small blessings around us is good for our soul. It is easy to complain and get upset when things do not go the way we expect, and that is exactly what the enemy of our soul wants us to do.

In the book of Jonah, God caused a plant to grow quickly and give Jonah shade. Yet the very next day, God sent a worm to destroy the plant, and it withered away. Because of this, Jonah was joyful one day, and the very next day he wished for death. Jonah was not facing a mighty giant like Goliath but he was upset simply because a plant had withered. What Jonah failed to realize was that both the growth of the plant and its withering came from the hand of God.

God was teaching Jonah an important lesson. Jonah cared deeply for a plant he did not plant or grow, but he did not care for the people of Nineveh. God used the plant as an object lesson to reveal Jonah’s selfishness. Jonah’s reaction shows how easily humans can fall into despair when comfort is taken away. He valued his own comfort more than the lives of thousands of people. Through this, God was exposing Jonah’s heart.

Even in our hardest days, we must never forget that the same God who sends the sunshine also allows the rain. In both, He is teaching, refining, and blessing us. He can bring something beautiful out of every situation for our own good and for His glory. Let us thank God even when we are outside our comfort zone

Can I still thank Him when He allows the rain instead of the sunshine?

I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify Him with thanksgiving. Psalm 69:30

(Contributed by Sis. Victoria Thomas)

Read The Bible In One Year

Morning     Colossians 3

Evening      Isaiah 37-38