Praise the Lord, my friend,

We can all admit that saying “Lord, let Your will be done” is easy.

But when His will isn’t what we wanted, then accepting the same becomes really difficult.

We can see this clearly in Jonah 4.

God had sent Jonah to Nineveh, and Jonah already knew that God could forgive them if they repented.

When the people of Nineveh turned away from their ways, God showed them mercy.

But Jonah was angry.

He did not want Nineveh to be forgiven, but he wanted them to face God’s judgment.

Jonah even told God why he was angry:

Jonah 4:2

“I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.”

You see, Jonah knew that God was merciful, my friend.

But he did not want that mercy to be shown to Nineveh.

So Jonah went outside the city and sat down, waiting to see what would happen.

Then God asked him:

Jonah 4:4

“Is it right for you to be angry?”

Jonah was angry because God had chosen mercy when he wanted judgment.

God then used a plant to teach Jonah a lesson.

He provided a plant to give Jonah shade, and Jonah was very happy about it.

But the next day, God sent a worm that damaged the plant, and it withered away.

Jonah became angry again because the plant had died.

Then God said to Jonah:

Jonah 4:11

“And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh?”

Jonah was upset about losing a plant that he had not planted or cared for, while God was concerned about the thousands of people living in Nineveh.

God wanted Jonah to understand that those people mattered to Him.

The book of Jonah ends with this question from God.

And this brings us back to something we struggle with too.

We find it easy to accept God’s mercy when we need it ourselves.

But when someone has hurt us, accepting that God can still show them mercy can be difficult.

So, what shall we do instead in those moments?

Matthew 5:44

“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

You see, Jesus tells us to pray for those who hurt us.

I know that is difficult, my friend.

But if we truly want God’s will to be done, then we also have to trust Him with the people we would rather see punished.

We can leave their actions in God’s hands and ask Him to help us respond according to His will.

May His will be done.

Share with Prayer:

We don’t know who needs to see the above reel, but God does.

So, let us share it with a prayer, my friend.

Let’s Pray:

Dear Father God,

Thank You for Your mercy and for always knowing what is best for us, even when we may not understand Your ways.

Lord, help us accept Your will when it is different from what we wanted.

When someone has hurt us, please help us not to hold on to anger or wish for their punishment.

Give us the strength to pray for them and leave them in Your hands.

Help us remember the mercy You have shown us and teach us to show that same mercy to others.

And Lord, please use the above post that we are about to share for Your purpose.

Let it reach the right person, speak to someone's heart, and help them draw closer to You.

In Jesus' name we pray,

Amen.

Specific prayer request

If you’ve any prayer requests, please hit reply and let me know. I would love to pray for you, my friend.

Would you prefer to share it anonymously? You can do it here.

Until tomorrow, my friend 😊
Prasad Mairale
Walk In Faith