“And the Lord arranged for a leafy plant to grow there, and soon it spread its broad leaves over Jonah’s head, shading him from the sun…. But God also prepared a worm! The next morning at dawn the worm ate through the stem of the plant, so that it soon died and withered away.” (Jonah 4:6, 7)

 

Jonah was a very stubborn and difficult man. He hated his enemies (Ninevites), and he knew the grace of God. God told Jonah to “warn” the Ninevites of coming judgment because of their ungodly living. Jonah didn’t want to obey God because he knew the possibility of God forgiving the Ninevites after their true remorse.

 

You know the story. Jonah went down to Joppa… he went down into the ship… he went down into the sea… he went down into the whale… he went down to the ocean floor. When you disobey God, you’ll go down, down, down, ….

 

God heard Jonah’s heart cry from the deep, and the whale vomited Jonah on the shores of Ninevah. Isn’t that something? Well, it happened just as he thought. They repented and God forgave. We all should be thankful for God’s saving mercy right? Jonah had a heart problem. He hated these people. He wanted God to destroy them.

 

So, to change Jonah’s heart, He prepared a plant and a worm. The plant provided much shade in this desert place. Jonah was thankful for it. God also provided the worm (trial) to take away his comfort. Jonah was angry that the shade was taken away. God showed Jonah that he had more compassion for the plant than he did for humanity.

 

It is during the trial that God convinces us what we’re really like. It is when our comfort is taken away that our true heart is revealed. It is at this time we are convinced of our true heart and we allow God to transform us.