When Elijah upholds God's laws and takes God's message to unrighteous kings, he ends up running in terror after the threat of imminent death from Jezebel reaches his ears (1 Kings 19).
Jonah becomes angry and resentful when God doesn't destroy Nineveh after Jonah had warned them they would all be destroyed because of their sinful ways. But this ruthless and warlike people who were Israel's enemy repented instead. Jonah's heart burned with anger and he felt he would rather die than go on living (Jonah 4).
Looking at Job after he is completely devastated by all the tragedies he suffers in a short amount of time. He wishes he had died at birth and never had been allowed to live (Job 3).
Each reacted emotionally and physically in a completely normal human way, expressing their feelings to God. What is uplifting is that God knew what they needed, and responded in kind.
First, God reveals Himself, reassuring each one that He is near. All three pray to God in their distress and the voice of the Lord responds to each one. Deuteronomy 31:6 reminds us, “…for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
Second, He reminds them that He has a purpose for them. They are all questioning their purpose. They are feeling intense doubt about where they are in life and what is happening to them. They don't expect to experience the results they did and feel like all their efforts have failed! They become confused and feel that God has forgotten about them. But He reminds them that He is in control and that there is a purpose behind what’s going on, even when they can’t see it.
Big transitions, upended lives, or extreme loss in our life often lead to feeling of overwhelming anxiety and sometimes despair, leaving us wondering who we are and why we have to experience painful and traumatic things in life. It is then we need to be reminded of how God responds. He is always there, even when things shake us to our core and there seems to be no hope. We need to remind ourselves that He has a purpose for us that can never be shattered by circumstances in this life and that what really defines who we are comes from Him.
He has a plan for your life that cannot be thwarted. He says to hold on, and that no matter what you have to go through in this life, He always has thoughts of peace and good things for you, not evil! He wants to give you a future and hope, and when in these times you determine to seek Him, you will find Him when you seek Him with all your heart (Jeremiah 29: 11-13)! You still have a purpose, a future, a role as in 1 Corinthians 3:9; we are God's fellow workers, His fertile field, and His building. Nothing can upend His plan for you! You are defined by His unconditional and personal love for you which dwells in you if you dwell in Him as He dwells in you. God tells us that if anyone decides to continue to habitually sin, that sin will create a distance between God and that person (Isaiah 59:2), for only our sin can separate us from God. However, He wants us to turn back from our sinful lifestyle to dwell in Him and recover that closeness (Ezekiel 33:11) and to then continue to live out His plan for you.
You can be confident that God is with you and watching over you, that He as a plan that is not limited by your current circumstances. He sees your potential – He created you! And He wants to help you live a fulfilling, free, and abundant life both now and even more so as part of His family in His Kingdom.
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