Angry Much?

“When God saw what (Ninevah) did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened. But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry.” Jonah 3:10-4:1

Thank heavens for 911. A few years ago, a woman walked into McDonald’s and ordered some McNuggets. Upon being informed that they were out of the delicious little morsels, she berated the cashier. When her rage did not cause the McNuggets to magically appear, she summoned the police to handle the emergency. Needless to say, she got a trip downtown and a fine rather than a tasty lunch!

God called Jonah to warn the evil Ninevites that if they did not turn to God, they would be destroyed. After a brief side trip (see Jonah 1), he did just that. The people repented of their sin and asked for God’s forgiveness! You would have thought that Jonah would be thrilled. Instead, he was angry. He wanted to see the city burn!

I think Jonah and the McNugget lady had something in common. They both had a self focus problem. In the middle of their circumstances, all either of them could think about was what they wanted, regardless of how it affected those around them. Before we condemn them, let us examine our own lives. May I ask you how often you get angry? Could it be possible that the cause of your anger is self focus? Are you more concerned about how the events of your day affect you and your schedule than how they affect others? How careful we must be to take the focus off of ourselves. When self focus reigns, we become angry about everything and deaf to the voice of God.

-Pastor Mike