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Then Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made himself a booth, and sat under it in the shade, until he might see what would become of the city. Yahweh God prepared a vine, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to deliver him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the vine. But God prepared a worm at dawn the next day, and it chewed on the vine, so that it withered. When the sun arose, God prepared a sultry east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah's head, so that he fainted, and requested for himself that he might die, and said, 'It is better for me to die than to live.' Jonah 4:5 WEB

Jonah, who was a mighty prophet of God a few chapters before, now sat in the blazing heat and wished that he was dead. He actually prayed to die. He had been through a long journey to get to Nineveh, and even spent a couple of nights in a custom made fish hotel. Now Jonah was so angry that God had spared the city that he had prophesied the destruction of, that he sulked in anger.

Jonah could have been glad that over 120,000 people had repented at his preaching and they had turned to the Lord in prayer and fasting. His preaching had caused one of the greatest revivals of all time, but he was not happy. Jonah was unconcerned about the death of 120,000 others. What concerned him at the moment was the blazing sun on his head, because the plant which had given him shade, had now died. He was concerned over the death of a small plant, but was angry at God for sparing an entire city.

Every parent knows that at some point your children need to be disciplined. When left to themselves, they rarely turn out well. When discipline becomes necessary, it is the parents' job to provide it. So God provided everything that Jonah needed to have the right outlook. God provided a plant to cool him, the next day a worm to eat the plant, then the blazing sun and a scorching east wind on his head, finally His word to bring balance. Would God bring an attitude adjustment like that? Apparently so.

Our Father will also provide everything that we need, and sometimes it involves withholding something that we think that we need, or providing something else that we don't think we need. God loves you, and He wants you to grow and fulfill the plans that He has for you. Therefore, He will not leave you to grow like a weed (Hebrews 12:6), but will provide whatever it takes along the way to fulfill your destiny. He loves us and only desires the best for our lives, but when you submit your life to Him, He can be relentless in bringing that to pass.

Prayer: Heavenly Father I thank You today. Let me learn lessons quickly and not be stubborn and unchanging. May Your will be done in my life. Please give me the grace to accept change and help me keep a positive attitude today. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray.

Note: For those following our Creation Photographers group, here is the theme of the week: Galatians 5:13 "You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love." - 'Freedom' or 'Liberty to Love' will be our next fun theme and is open wide for creative interpretation. You are also encouraged to post anything else that inspires you as well . My photos this week reflect things that I have the liberty and freedom to love. May you all embrace God's freedom!! May you all know the right to serve one another humbly in love! God bless! Here is the link: Creation Photographers

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