But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. — Jonah 4:1
There are quite a few times that life will make us upset. While we may get upset, there is certainly a clear difference between upset and angry. When someone is upset, they may express their frustration, but in general, the situation is short-lived.
Angry is a totally different circumstance. Anger typically causes someone to act out about the situation. There may be yelling, they may remove themselves from a situation and refuse to talk. Being upset is generally a feeling, but angry typically results in action.
That was the case with Jonah. He had warned the people of Nineveh about the coming judgment of God. The people repented and God spared them. That upset Jonah. No doubt he had a wide range of feelings. Perhaps he felt that God had made him appear as a liar. Perhaps he felt like he was just used of God.
In any case, Jonah became angry. So angry in fact that he begged God to let him die. Jonah did not realize the dangers of being angry with God. He soon learned a difficult lesson as his angry actions continued. We see how God tried to work with Jonah, but in the book of Jonah, there is not a recording of how it ends.
Perhaps that is the key point in the story. Being angry with God is something that does not work out well for a Christian. In fact, it’s quite dangerous. We can get upset with how God directs and orchestrates things in our life, but in the end, He is the one in control.
The difficult lessons that we can face when we are angry with God can affect us in so many ways. It directly affects us, as it did in the case of Jonah. It can also affect those around us. It can affect our family, friends, co-workers, and more. Being angry with God can stand in the way of us having a proper relationship with God, but also those around us seeing Christ in us.
Everything in life may not go exactly how we want or expect it to, but we have to trust that God knows what He is doing. Our personal well-being, our family, our friends, and our Christian witness all depend on it. It will do us no good to be angry with God.
