Morning Devotional 062025 But Why?

Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room

June 20, 2025

Jonah 4:1-11

1 But Jonah thought this was utterly wrong, and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the LORD, “Come on, LORD! Wasn’t this precisely my point when I was back in my own land? This is why I fled to Tarshish earlier! I know that you are a merciful and compassionate God, very patient, full of faithful love, and willing not to destroy. 3 At this point, LORD, you may as well take my life from me, because it would be better for me to die than to live.” 4 The LORD responded, “Is your anger a good thing?” 5 But Jonah went out from the city and sat down east of the city. There he made himself a hut and sat under it, in the shade, to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the LORD God provided a shrub, and it grew up over Jonah, providing shade for his head and saving him from his misery. Jonah was very happy about the shrub. 7 But God provided a worm the next day at dawn, and it attacked the shrub so that it died. 8 Then as the sun rose God provided a dry east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he became faint. He begged that he might die, saying, “It’s better for me to die than to live.” 9 God said to Jonah, “Is your anger about the shrub a good thing?” Jonah said, “Yes, my anger is good—even to the point of death!” 10 But the LORD said, “You ‘pitied’ the shrub, for which you didn’t work and which you didn’t raise; it grew in a night and perished in a night. 11 Yet for my part, can’t I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than one hundred twenty thousand people who can’t tell their right hand from their left, and also many animals?”

Good Morning! My soul glorifies the Lord.

Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense. —Proverbs 19:11

James 1:19 Know this, my dear brothers and sisters: everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to grow angry.

Most have found themselves on the wrong side of an argument. You start with what seems to be reasonable, but as the conversation develops, you realize that the other side makes some great points. At that point, do we concede, or are we too proud to let our opponent win? 

Jonah chose to get angry. He couldn’t let his beliefs regarding Nineveh be changed, not even by God. Jonah had prophesied (words from God) that Nineveh would be destroyed, and he could not accept that God let them off the hook after they repented of their sinful ways. Jonah reveals that he would rather die than accept God’s decision.

God confronts Jonah's anger by asking, "Is it right for you to be angry?". This question challenges Jonah's perspective and highlights the disparity between God's compassion and Jonah's lack of it. 

Praise be to God, that God is merciful and compassionate even when we are full of sin. Jonah, God’s prophet, struggled with some of the challenges that plague us. His human eyes saw people who were not worthy of saving, yet God saw the goodness buried deep within them and allowed them to repent. 

Jonah’s anger grew out of his prejudice against a people he viewed as wicked and deserving of God’s wrath. Additionally, Jonah had a little pride thing working within him as well. God sent him to Ninevah with words of destruction; if God saved them, it would make Jonah’s prophecy false, and he would look bad. 

Jonah was too proud to let his opponent (God) win, but God showed him a better way and was compassionate with his servant, Jonah. 

Giving Lord, you bless us abundantly! We are challenged to see others as you see them. Open our hearts and minds so that we may love our enemies as you love us. Thank you. We love you, Lord! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen

Thought for the day: Despite our flaws, God loves us and gives us mercy.

God is merciful! Pastor Liz