#4: Resent God’s Providence in Ruling the World

It displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.

Jonah 4:1

You would think that a man who had seen miracles of grace in his own life and in his ministry would be full of praise and thanksgiving. Here we see something different.

Jonah was a mature believer. He was a prophet. He was a missionary. You would think that he would be filled with joy in serving God. But he is angry and frustrated and out of sorts with the God he served.

Jonah was not the only one to experience this. Asaph was the director of worship for King David. He says, “My feet had almost stumbled.” Why? “I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (Ps. 73:2-3). It seemed that God was kinder to His enemies than to His friends! So, Asaph said, “All in vain have I kept my heart clean” (73:13).

There is a particular darkness that can come to those who work hardest in the Lord’s service. Resentment towards God is the special temptation of mature believers who serve Him well. It is easy to feel that God owes you.

How is it that we can experience God’s grace in our own lives and ministry and still struggle with the God we love? How is it possible to be in the middle of a great work of God and yet to find no joy in it?

Jonah shows us one of the most common ways in which a mature believer can avoid a God-centred life. You serve God and end up resenting the God you serve.

If you have sacrificed much for Christ, you are likely to experience this trial. And you need to know how to deal with it. We will see how this resentment grew in Jonah’s life and how God dealt with Jonah to deliver him from it.

When have you felt this temptation of resentment towards God?