In the busyness of life the sad state of the lost often tumbles to the back of my mind.  Unfortunately, I sometimes have a cynical attitude toward those without Christ- either viewing them as a lost cause or even as the enemy, but this is not in line with the heart of Christ. I am sad to say that there have been moments when I could see myself reflected in the pages of the book of Jonah. Let’s go before Christ believing that He will deliver us from the disdain of Jonah.

Prayer

Father, so many times I am more concerned about my own comfort than the state of the people who don’t know You.  You are faithful to attempt to teach me compassion, but I am often like Jonah- unwilling to learn from Your voice and from the prompting of Your Spirit.  Make me malleable in Your hands, help me to get my focus off of myself and place the eyes of my heart on the people who need You.  Help me to learn from Jonah.  I can’t condemn him because I am so much like him, but with the help of Your Spirit, I believe I can be an effective evangelist just like Jonah. I believe I can develop in me the heart You were attempting to work in him in Jesus name, my sanctifier.

Jonah 4:5-10

Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant.  But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die,and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.” But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” “It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.” But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight.  And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”

Other Resources

As we’ve prayed our way through the book of Jonah, maybe you jumped in during the middle of this series.  If so, then you can start from the beginning. Just click HERE.

We have also prayed through the book of Habakkuk and Joel. Just click on the hyperlinked book names and it will take you to the first prayer.

Also if you’re interested in bringing the Kingdom to every part of your life, family, ministry, business, hobby, and friendships, then I suggest you check out my series entitled, “Moving from Survival to Kingdom Living.” This series has the potential to change your life forever. To read it just click HERE.

Help Me Get the Word Out

There are a few things you can do to help me with this.  First, you can subscribe to my blog at my website.  This way emails will be sent to your inbox for every post.  This is one of the most important things that publishers looks for when considering to publish a book. Secondly, you can like my Facebook page: Royal Perspectives. This will help you to share my post and to invite friends to the page.