God
sends storms to…
Expose the real
me
You
throw me into the whirlwind and
destroy me in the storm. JOB 30:22 NLT
Then
the LORD ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach. Then the LORD spoke
to Jonah a second time: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and
deliver the message I have given you.” This time Jonah obeyed the LORD’s
command and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to see it
all. On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds: “Forty days
from now Nineveh will be destroyed!” JONAH
2:10 NLT
The
storm stripped away everything except Jonah’s character
Jonah
was a JERK
Teach me about more
Himself
The
people of Nineveh believed God’s message, and from the greatest to the
least…Then the king and his nobles sent this decree throughout the city:
“No
one, not even the animals from your herds and flocks, may eat or drink anything
at all. People and animals alike must wear garments of mourning, and everyone
must pray earnestly to God. They must turn from their evil ways and stop all
their violence. Who can tell? Perhaps even yet God will change his mind and
hold back his fierce anger from destroying us.”
When
God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he
changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened. JONAH 3:6-10 NLT
Some
things about God can only be learned in the storm
Then
the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind JOB
38:1 NLT
Stir up my true feelings
This
change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. So he complained
to the LORD about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this,
LORD? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and
compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are
eager to turn back from destroying people. Just kill me now, LORD! I’d rather
be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.” The LORD replied, “Is
it right for you to be angry about this?” JONAH
4:1-4 NLT
Then
Jonah went out to the east side of the city and made a shelter to sit under as
he waited to see what would happen to the city. And the LORD God arranged for a
leafy plant to grow there, and soon it spread its broad leaves over Jonah’s
head, shading him from the sun. This eased his discomfort, and Jonah was very
grateful for the plant. JONAH 4:5-6 NLT
But
God also arranged for a worm! The next morning at dawn the worm ate through the
stem of the plant so that it withered away. And as the sun grew hot, God
arranged for a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah. The sun beat down on his
head until he grew faint and wished to die. “Death is certainly better than
living like this!” he exclaimed. JONAH
4:7-8 NLT
Then
God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?”
“Yes,” Jonah retorted, “even angry enough to die!” Then the LORD said, “You
feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came
quickly and died quickly. But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in
spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for
such a great city?” JONAH 4:9-11 NLT