Jonah 3:10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.

When you think about it, the response of the people of Nineveh, from the common people up through the king, was nothing short of miraculous. In my book, it seems more miraculous than Jonah being preserved for three days inside the fish/whale! There was no logical reason why this heavily populated city would respond as they did to a singular, foreign, prophet. However, nothing is impossible for God! (Luke 1:37) The point is, God did all of this for multiple reasons. First, He wanted to correct the behavior of the people of Nineveh. They weren’t “His” people the way the Jews were, but He does not rejoice in evil whoever is doing it, and He doesn’t rejoice in anyone’s death, as we read just a few days ago. Second, He wanted to give a powerful foreshadowing of Jesus’ burial and resurrection. (Matthew 12:40) And third, He wanted to teach Jonah, and by extension, all who would learn about him, some powerful lessons, both about the importance of obeying God and about God’s character. God hardly ever does anything for just one purpose. There are no “unintended consequences” with Him! We know only the past and present, and our perception of those is fuzzy at best. However, God knows every detail from the moment of creation to the end of the universe, and His actions operate on everything at once. We often don’t know why thing happen, either good things or bad things, but we need to trust God for being in control, whatever it looks like to us in the moment.

This is something I have had to learn, and I need to keep remembering it. Things are happening on the world stage that grab my attention, yet I see no direct connection to me. Things happen to and around me, and I don’t see how they affect anyone else. I need to remember that a fly landing on the deck of an aircraft carrier actually affects it, though to a degree too small for us to measure. I need to trust God enough to allow Him to use me to affect things I know nothing about, and at the same time receive the blessings He intends for me through things that might seem to be unconnected to me. That is frankly a tall order! I am still growing, and I need to be at peace with that. Knowing God’s character, I need to trust and thank Him for everything going on in the world, knowing that the ultimate outcome will be glorious indeed. I can’t see around the next corner, but He sees everything, and He is love itself. (1 John 4:8)

Father, thank You for this reminder. There are various things that have us stirred up at the moment, from the political situation in the Middle East through the upcoming election in the US to my brother-in-law’s medical situation to the medical tests I’ll be having this morning. Help me trust You with every detail, listening to You for how I am to respond to each thing, whether it be prayer, proclamation, or direct action. May indeed Your name be acknowledged as holy and Your rule and reign be established as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!