Yesterday, we talked about how intimately God is aware of our day-to-day lives—the good, the ugly, and the bad. He sees us and He knows us. Today, I want to share a message that has blessed me, centered on a story we all know well.
Before we begin, I want to mention Pastor Manoj. He called this morning, distressed and brokenhearted by unpredictable events in his home. Instead of sharing the message today, he is with his daughter in the hospital. That is the reality of life; it doesn't wait for us to plan or prepare backups. You just have to go with the punches, but what matters is what is happening inside of us.
Think of the show Friends. There is an episode where Monica—who is the neatest, most organized person you can imagine—has a secret closet. No one was allowed inside, and she pretended it didn't exist. But when it was finally opened, all the piled-up junk and unorganized mess came tumbling down.
We are often like that. On the outside, we try to look perfect and hold ourselves to a high standard. But the reality is that all of us have a "closet" inside—a place that is messy, raw, and unorganized—that we try to hide from people and even from God. If you feel like you are falling apart while trying to manage your internal turmoil, this message is for you.
The Flaw of Prolonged Disobedience
Let's look at the life of Jonah.
"Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 'Arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and cry out against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me.' But Jonah up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. The Lord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up." (Jonah 1:1-4, NASB 1995)
The first thing we see in Jonah is prolonged disobedience. God gave him a clear word to preach to Nineveh. Instead, Jonah went in the complete opposite direction, finding a ship headed for the furthest known place on earth.
I wonder, how angry do you have to be to hold onto that feeling for so long? Usually, by the time we reached the port or saw the boat, we would have calmed down or repented. But Jonah held onto this for months. On the outside, he was a prophet; he looked great. On the inside, he had a massive, unmanaged anger issue that made him want to run away from his calling and even from life itself.
Extreme Moods and Unpredictable Reactions
As the storm raged, the sailors tried everything to keep the ship afloat. They eventually cast lots to find the source of the calamity, and the lot fell on Jonah. When they asked him what they should do, Jonah’s solution was extreme: "Pick me up and throw me into the sea".
This is the second thing we notice: extreme mood slips. Jonah didn't want to assess the situation or find a gradual solution; he just wanted to die to avoid facing the scenario. Interestingly, even in Jonah's disobedience and failure, God used the moment to reach the sailors, who began to worship the Lord after the sea grew calm.
After being swallowed by a fish and repenting in isolation, Jonah finally goes to Nineveh. He preaches a simple message of judgment, and the entire city—from the king to the animals—repents in sackcloth and ashes. This was an evangelist’s dream! But look at Jonah’s reaction:
"But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord and said, 'Please Lord, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity. Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life.'" (Jonah 4:1-3, NASB 1995)
This is unpredictable anger. A moment that should have been a celebration of God's mercy became a moment where Jonah wanted to die because God was too gracious. Like Jonah, we often have triggers that set us off in ways people can't predict.
The God Who Walks With Us
Finally, we see Jonah's unpredictable moods. One moment he is "extremely happy" because God provided a leafy plant for shade. The next moment, when the plant withers, he is so angry he wishes he were dead. He was a man who was raw, authentic, and a bit of a mess—just like us.
We often think God only uses perfect people who have everything together. But in this entire story, do you know how many times God told Jonah, "I can't deal with you anymore"? Not once.
God was with Jonah when he disobeyed, when he was in the port, when he was on the boat, and when he was in the sea. God was present in every moment of his pain, distress, and anger.
A Resurrection Hope
Today, we celebrate the risen God. We don't talk about a God who stayed dead, but a God who lives and walks with us through our own messes and messy closets. He is not surprised by our weaknesses or our inability to control our flesh.
The Bible says every day of our life was written before any of them came to be. I believe God reads a few chapters ahead of us. He turns the pages before we get there to ensure there is enough grace, provision, and mercy accounted for tomorrow.
You don't have to be ashamed or afraid of what He thinks of you. He already approves of you. Just as He never grew tired of Jonah, He will never tell you that He is tired of you. He sees the authentic you, and He is walking with you through it all.