“But the Lord said, “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?”” Jonah 4:10-11 NKJV
Jonah was a prophet in Israel, who was asked by the Lord to preach to the sinful people of Nineveh. The word says that Jonah did not want to do this, so much so that he attempted to flee “from the presence of the Lord” (Jonah 1:3 NKJV). He knew that the people would be delivered but did not want them to because of the extent of their wickedness. He begrudgingly ends up going to the city, shouts a one-liner, and leaves. Nineveh, despite his lack of effort, is immediately convicted and delivered (Jonah 3:5-10). He proceeds to complain and request to kill himself, because like he said, God is merciful and kind and relented from punishing the people. I like the book because of its honesty: Jonah did not want the “wicked” to prosper, despite serving the God we know to be merciful.
What about you? How do you love those you deem unworthy of it? A question many people of faith have is how the Lord allows evil to thrive, or where the reward for their own obedience is found. This is something I think about too in times of struggling. It is hard to see others thrive or desire salvation for them, when they do not seem to be on the straight and narrow path. We are only human, and it can be difficult to reconcile the truth of the goodness of God with our suffering or with His unrelenting mercies.
Where can God be found in you this Christmas season? How can you use His Word to turn your heart with the Gospel? He has been merciful to all. He finds pleasure where the wicked turn from his way and live (Ezekiel 33:11). He asks us to love our enemies and to bless those who curse us (Matthew 5:43-45). He has gone so far as to declare to place “a new heart and put a new spirit within”, and give us “a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26), meaning that we can find it in us, with Him, to desire salvation for others – like the pity Jonah had on a plant he did not labour for.
That is the message I am holding close as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus. I think about the elaborate plan that God intricately designed for little old me. Even on the days the world seems hopeless, and especially on the ones where I cannot find Him in my story but easily identify Him in others: He created a story that was big enough for all of us. And even as it may feel like “…I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain; Yet surely my just reward is with the LORD, And my work with my God.” (Isaiah 49:4). May the Lord find us sharing His heart, and I pray this season is a reminder of just how wide His hands reach to capture us.
