Do You Do Well to be Angry?

Do You Do Well to Be Angry?

Many times when things do not go the way we plan we get mad, upset, and angry. Sometimes that anger, hurt, and disappointment is directed at God; and at other times it is directed towards others. What are some things which create anger, resentment, or indignation? Maybe it was a promotion we were suppose to or promised to get. Maybe it was a lifestyle our spouse promised when first married. Maybe it was a loss of a job, house, or family member. It could also be a loss of tradition, and the way things are now are not what was. In the church world, many may become bitter when they are disenfranchised with the direction of the leadership and church to the point they begin to believe that the leadership and the new people of the church are pushing them out and stealing their church.

Jonah had a problem with anger over things that did not go his way. His anger was over the mercy and grace of God, which was poured out on the Ninevites. Also Jonah expressed his anger over a plant, which was only temporary in his life. The plant grew and provided shade for only one day, then the next it withered due to the hand of God. This caused Jonah much displeasure and heartache. Jonah at the close of the book of Jonah is not a happy camper. He is mad at all the people (Gentile people) God saved. He also pouts because he no longer has a plant for shade. God teaches Jonah a valuable lesson which would behoove us all to learn and apply to our lives. God tells Jonah, "You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?"

God teaches Jonah a few things from this statement. First, God teaches Jonah he is Sovereign over everything as well as the Creator of everything, and wants to be the Savior of all peoples. He is the Creator of the Ninevites and the plant. They are all his. He caused them to grow. He watched over them and nothing they did or that transpired happened outside the control of God. Therefore God has much concern and love over the spiritual condition of the world. Rather than being moved by our dislike and disdain of people not of our race, ethnicity, or culture, God would have us direct love, grace, mercy, and most of all the gospel to those people.

The second thing God teaches us through Jonah is that he owns everything and nothing is ours. God tells Jonah the plant was caused to grow by the hand of God, not the hand of Jonah. I know what people are thinking now. Jonah didn't plant the plant, water the plant, and nurture the plant, God did. Therefore, people will say, but,
I work my 40-60 hours a week and nurture my paycheck. I worked hard for that raise. I took care of my children only to see this happen
to them. I shouldn't have to give away my money. I should live the way I want to, and give God what I want. I spent forty years of my
life at this church. I built this building with my own hands. I gave so much money to this building fund. I helped build this church through
all the years of outreach. This tradition has been in our family or church for two generations. I have lived here my whole life. This was
my raise. This was my ministry. I have been doing this for 10 years. This is my city. This is my town. It doesn't belong to these new
people.

The perceptive reality is that people have exerted energy to make things happen and for things to grow. However, there are two responses to these rebuttals. One, who gave you the energy to do all that you have done? Who gave you the energy and healthy to work? Who provided you a job in the first place? Who has called you to work for his glory and his good? Therefore, since you are suppose to be a steward of the energy and job God has provided for you, you should also be a steward and manager of the resources that flow from this job. Second, who ultimately causes things to grow? Not you. Not me. God does. We can water, work, water, and work all day long, but things may not grow. We can cause nothing to grow. All we can do is work the land. God causes things to grow. God ultimately builds what we (as tools) are used for. Jesus says in Matthew 16, "I will build my church." Paul says in 1 Corinthians, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase (the growth)." We must understand that growth, no matter what type of growth, is not a result from our ingenuity or hard work, It is from the gracious hand of God. Therefore, our increase and growth of money, resources, materials, family, church building, church flock, and even friends are not ultimately from us, but from our good and gracious God.

This is why when things do not work out the way we plan, or we lose things we love, we should not become angry at God or even others. We must learn that the Lord gives and the Lord takes away. We must learn that the Lord is Sovereign, Creator, and Savior of all mankind and that his mission may not always be what we want the mission to look like or how we would see the mission transpire. We must surrender to the Lord and allow him to use us for his glory and fame. If we do this, we will learn from Jonah not to get angry at the things that are outside our control and those things that we lose, which were not ours to begin with.