Jonah's Anger Jonah 3:10-4:4

When things don’t go our way, one of the most natural responses is anger. But Anger, can be a very destructive emotion if not controlled. It can destroy you and those around you. Anger blinds common sense and cause people to say and do things they later regret. However some anger can move you to act courageously against injustice. So why do we get angry?  The Bible tells us the story of a man who became so angry at God that he would rather die. Jonah, also known as the reluctant missionary, became mad at God. When God told Jonah to go to Nineveh and announce the impending destruction that was coming upon that city, Jonah avoided God’s instructions and encountered some serious vicissitudes as a result of his walking away from God. Eventually, Jonah went to Nineveh and preached repentance. God forgave the people of Nineveh and their lives were spared. Now Jonah became angry, so angry he wanted to die. He was mad at God because God changed his mind and did not do what Jonah said God would do. In other words, Jonah was mad at God because God did not do what Jonah wanted God to do. Jonah was more concerned about what he wanted and what others would think of him, that he did not care about the people he was preaching to. He was concerned about looking good before the people, he was concerned about been right, he was the prophet. Pride in Jonah’s heart caused him to create an unrealistic expectation of God. He said, I knew you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity”. Even after seeing the amazing results of his work, the entire city of Niniveh repented and God relented from the threat of punishment, Jonah still sat outside the city to see their destruction. Why did he not packed and left, and sang a song of thanksgiving for God’s mercy upon that city? Instead he was stubborn and stayed there angry hoping for the destruction of the city. But God taught him a lesson about forgiveness.

Sometimes, we get angry at others, or at God or at ourselves. This anger can be traced to our creating unrealistic expectations of others, or of God or of ourselves. When we expect others to do certain things and they don’t do them, we get angry at them. When we expect God to do something for us, and he doesn’t, we get angry at Him. Sometimes we get jealous of other peoples’ blessings and we ask God, where is my blessing? It is frustrating when we don’t get what we want, and when this happen, we turn to anger. But God asked Have you any right to be angry? The answer is no.

How do you prevent from getting angry? Examine yourself. What are you angry about? To whom are you directing your anger? Consider that maybe the source of your anger is not really the other person, but what you wanted the other person to do for you? Did you consider that when you placed this expectation to the other person, you were perhaps, too demanding? Did you consider the ability of the other person to do what you wanted? Finally, did you consider that sometimes, there can be a change of plans? Is it your pride that is getting in the way of our accepting others the way they are?

A good exercise would be to begin our day with thanksgiving. Be extra aware of God’s mercies and grace. Think about what an amazing job He has done in creation. Consider the lilies of the field. Lift up your eyes and delight in God’s handy work. Practice watching God’s amazing work in others. See what a great God is He when he blessed so and so. Be glad for what God gave you and for what God does for others.