Whose World?

Read Jonah
 
Jonah 1:1-2 The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.”
 
WHAT do you think? Would Jonah have said something like this?
 
“Oh, LORD! What are you doing to me? You wanted me to go to Ninevah to tell those heathens, “Repent!” But didn’t want to give them any opportunity for you to save them!. So I boarded a ship at Joppa to sail to Spain, as far from Ninevah as I knew to go. Then came that wicked storm. I felt sorry for the sailors. They didn’t know what to do. When they cast lots and learned I was the reason for the storm, they still refused to throw me into the sea!   
   But you got your way. I wonder what they thought when the storm stilled while I was sinking into the sea. I imagine, LORD, you made quite an impression on them. 
   You can make quite the impact when you have a mind to do so. You certainly made an impression on me with that fish. Oh, LORD! Was I so disobedient you had to put me inside that fish?  How long was it? Eternity? That’s a rough estimate from my point of view. I rolled around in that fish’s belly, not knowing up or down, day or night, left or right, and mostly not caring. All I wanted was to die. 
   But you wouldn’t let me off that easily would you, LORD? You kept me alive until the fish spit me out. And again you sent me to tell Ninevah, “Repent”
   Yes, LORD, I finally did what you said. And look, you have saved Ninevah. How can I be pleased such a good thing has happened to such a bad city?
   Now here I am in the blazing heat. You teased me, LORD. You gave me a nice vine to shade me. But now you’ve sent a worm to kill it! Wasn’t the fish enough? Now I have no shade. I, Jonah, your prophet, have  suffered more than the Ninevites! Sometimes I don’t understand what you want or why you do the things you do. 
   You allowed people to form the great city Ninevah. You then let them sin to the point you wanted to destroy them. Then you gave them the time to repent. And when they did, you say, “You’re spared.” Just like that.  
   The sailors…the citizens of Ninevah…me…what are you trying to tell us?    
   What’s that? 
   Why, you did, Lord. You created the world. Everybody knows that.
   Oh, they don’t? Well, come to think of it, everybody I know believes that. But yes, you’re right. Those sailors thought some god of the seas was controlling the storm until I told them you are my God. I’m sure they now believe you are Creator!  
   Yes, people put limits on you. I did that, too, didn’t I? I thought I could get away from you. And I did – in the fish. You took me away. And you brought me back. You caused the wind to blow, the vine to grow and the worm to cut it down.
   Yes, Lord, I see your point. If I truly understand your great mercy, I could have come to Nineveh and celebrated with them as you forgave them. But my anger and disobedience limited my life to loneliness, anger and self-pity.
   Help me, LORD God, to repent, to rejoice with you over saved souls and to consider your great love extends to all.