When My Will Gets In The Way

Have you ever been angry because someone got what you thought they didn't deserve? Maybe someone hurt you, and you wanted them to face the consequences. But somehow, they received mercy. Sometimes the hardest thing about following God isn't knowing what He wants. It's accepting that God's heart may be different from ours. Jonah discovered that the hard way. God had sent him to Nineveh with a message of judgment. He preached; the people repented. And God showed them mercy. “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry.” Because God's mercy didn't fit his expectations. Jonah wanted judgement for Nineveh not mercy. He had a picture of how God should act. And when God didn't conform to that picture, Jonah became angry. His personal feelings had become more important to him than God's will. We don't always have a problem obeying God when His will agrees with ours. The real test comes when God asks us to do something that challenges our comfort, our pride, or our preferences.