Bigger Picture
Instead of focusing on our own little world, may our eyes be opened to see a bigger part of God’s awesome plan.
Jonah 4.1-11
Reference: v.10a But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow.”
Explore: I am a terrible gardener! I don’t think I’ll ever have green thumbs. I tend to kill the most hardy pot plants in record time! The last plant my husband gave me for our anniversary he wrote on the card, “May our love continue long after you have killed this”!! I do wonder whether I am a terrible person because I kill so many of God’s creations and so I just live in hope that no one gives me a plant for me to destroy!
Jonah is angry at God because He has not destroying the Ninevites as He said He would. So he goes up on a hill to sulk and wait for the destruction to begin. God provides him a vine to give him shelter but then takes it away the next day. This does not make Jonah’s disposition any better and he decides it would be better to die. God questions Jonah’s anger. He is upset about a vine that he only had for a day and he did not even create. How much more upset is God if he was to lose one hundred and twenty thousand people?!
Application: So often we focus on the wrong things. When we come into a worship service we focus more on the band rather than on the words we are singing to God; when we meet as a Bible study group we focus more on who has done what rather than where God has been present in other’s lives; and when we look through our own days we focus more on how much fun we had rather than how we could show love to other people. God always sees the bigger picture. He made all of Creation and understands how it all fits together better than we could ever know. Instead of focusing on our own little world, may our eyes be opened to see a bigger part of God’s awesome plan.
Prayer: Lord, we can often get so caught up in our own lives that we forget to look out for others, just as you have commanded us to. May we strive to be more loving for You today. Amen.
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.