“So the Lord God appointed a plant and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. And Jonah was extremely happy about the plant. But God appointed a worm when dawn came the next day and it attacked the plant and it withered.” (vv.6-7)
The story of the rebellious prophet Jonah shows us how God desires to use both blessings and trials to challenge us and change us for the better. Five times in the book of Jonah it says that the Lord prepared circumstances for him—both good and bad.
In Jonah 1:4 we read that the Lord sent a storm. It says He “sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea.” After the mariners discovered that Jonah was the reason for this storm, they threw him overboard (Jonah 1:15). Then God “prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah” to save him from drowning (Jonah 1:17).
Here in our text we read that “the Lord God prepared a plant” to shade Jonah (v.6). Then we see that God prepared a worm to kill the vine as well as a scorching wind and sun to beat down upon him (vv.7-9). These circumstances were used to reveal Jonah’s rebellious attitude. Only after that revelation could God directly confront Jonah’s heart problem.
As we face different situations, we should remember that God is sovereign over both the blessings and the troubles that come our way. He desires to use everything to build our character (James 1:1-5). He uses both good and bad to transform us and guide us on our journey. He truly uses “all things for our good.”
Although it is hard sometimes not to be a Jonah and complain about the circumstances in our lives that seem negative - may I encourage you to be a Job, and open your eyes to His sovereign will over your life and thank Him for both the "blessings and trials" as He molds and shapes you into the person He desires you to become.
The Truth: "The LORD gives, and the LORD hath takes away; blessed be the name of the LORD. (Job 1:21)
