And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. Jonah 4:2 – When Jonah was in the belly of the fish, do you know which character traits of the Lord Jonah placed his hope in? That God would be gracious and merciful towards his wayward actions. That God would be slow to anger over his sins and show Jonah just how steadfast the Lord’s love was for him. When Jonah was in his rebellious state, looking at possible destruction for himself, he longed for such character traits to be true of God. Yet when it came to his enemies, Jonah despised these character traits of God. Jonah wanted God’s mercy for himself, but no mercy for his enemies. Jonah want God to have steadfast love towards himself, but steadfast rage toward his enemies. That isn’t what took place, and that’s why Jonah was so angry in this chapter. The same love, grace, and mercy demonstrated to Jonah was demonstrated to Ninevah. Why? Because God wasn’t just the God of Jonah, our God is the God of the entire world. All people and all nations fall under His rule, whether they know it or acknowledge it. Our God is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, and with such titles He can show grace and love to whomever He desires. He’s not bound to only show His character to a select few, He desires all to repent, so when any do so we see the full character of God displayed in their lives like we see with Ninevah. Unlike Jonah, cherish when anyone receives the mercy, grace, and love of the Lord like you have. No, they don’t deserve it, but you didn’t either, and you’re eternally grateful it was still shown to you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 3302
Question To Ponder: How could we help someone struggling with God’s grace being shown to their enemy?
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