God of Mercy: The School of Providence

Our God is a patient Teacher.
Yet His people so often are slow, stubborn pupils.
So God's school of providence runs throughout our lives, teaching us with our senses what our souls could not otherwise absorb.
"And the LORD God prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah," Jonah 4:6 (NKJV).
When Jonah got angry at God for sparing Nineveh, his temper ran so hot that he ignored God's questioning: "Is it right for you to be angry?"
Like a sulking child, Jonah simply sat outside the great city, hoping against hope that the enemies of his countrymen would yet be destroyed, and his reputation as their prophet reinforced.
It's silliness to give God the silent treatment, don't you think? God's omniscience means our feelings cannot be hid from Him; the reality of who we really are and what we're really thinking is laid bare before Him -- always.
So, as Jonah sulked, God sent a plant, and then a worm, and then a wind more fierce than Jonah's anger. The great fish was long gone, but God's school of providence was back in session.
Would Jonah finally learn his lesson?
We hope to see you here this Sunday as we continue our study of Jonah with "God of Mercy: The School of Providence."