Chapter four of Jonah has to rank as one of the most humorous passages in Scripture. Humorous, except that it also speaks directly to you and me. “But to Jonah, this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.” But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

Jonah had gone out and sat 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 that chewed the plant, so 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 be concerned for the great city of Nineveh, where there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”

Jonah has such antipathy toward the Ninevites that he is outside the city in the scorching heat, waiting for the city to be destroyed. The Ninevites had treated him with respect, as evidenced by their repentance. But his anger at them and God’s goodness caused him to go to the desert and want to die.

Now you gotta say that Jonah was a pretty gutsy guy to tell God he had a right to be angry with him. The good news is that you can tell God anything, but this episode speaks to a deeper issue. That issue is whether we live for ourselves and our desires or God and His purposes. 

Here is a truth to consider. Life is not about me. It is not about you. It is about living in obedience and fellowship with the God of the universe and contributing to His purposes on this earth. Life is ultimately about God. Ironically, His purposes for us are the best we could ask for. He came to give us life and life abundant; John 10:10. It is when we go our own way for our own purposes that we get ourselves into trouble and lose our joy and focus. This was Jonah. He simply wants to die on the eve of a great victory for God’s purposes.

When we focus on fulfilling God’s purposes for our lives, we experience joy, peace, and significant fulfillment. But when we focus on ourselves and our selfish desires, these experiences elude us. Even though they are what we are searching for in our selfishness. It is a matter of focus. The evil one comes to steal, kill and destroy, while Jesus came to give us life and life to the full. Focus on God and His purposes, and we experience the best. But, focusing on ourselves and our selfish desires causes what we want to elude us. And ultimately, it leads to the depression Jonah finds himself in.

This is true even in ministry. Why do we join God in His work? If it is for our own recognition or reputation, we are operating out of selfishness rather than out of a desire to make God look great. In fact, that is the crucial difference: If my motivation is to make me look good, I am operating out of selfish motives. If my goal is to make God look great, I am where God wants me to be. Remember, life is not about me but about Him.

Father, I admit there are times I love to make myself look good rather than make you look great. Give me the right motivation today. Life is abo