Jonah 3-4 | God Loves People

Most people have a hard time acknowledging this most foundational truth. Many people don’t feel like God loves them and, therefore, feel that he couldn’t possibly love others.

Why is this so? Since the Garden, God’s great Enemy has whispered in our ears every time something bad happens. “God did that and that means He doesn’t love you.” In fact, Satan doesn’t need a cause to send this great lie. Adam and Eve lived in a perfect world with no tragedies. It just took Satan’s whispers to create doubt about God’s goodness toward them.

THE UNDENIABLE TRUTH

God shouts to us of His love in so many ways. Nineveh is a prime example in the book of Jonah. We often focus on Jonah’s lack of love which caused him to run from his assignment to the wicked city of Nineveh. But notice God’s love. He went to extraordinary lengths to get a prophet to them to preach an eight-word message.

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you.” So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three days’ walk. Then Jonah began to go through the city one day’s walk; and he cried out and said, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” Then the people of Nineveh believed in God and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them … when God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it. (Jonah 3:1-5, 10)

God had prepared these people. All they needed was a message and a messenger. God was wanting to save them. It was not His desire that they perish, but that they would be covered by His compassion and longsuffering grace.

God loves people. Jonah didn’t, which is a continual shame to him for misrepresenting his Father. He pouted when they repented. He would rather let 120,000 people die in their sin. But God is not like this.

God loves people. And if He loves them so greatly, it means He also loves you. You should never doubt His affection. His continual advances to you to save you—even to the giving of His Son—should forever contradict the Devil’s lies.

Father, thank You for your everlasting love for us. Help me understand it fully and embrace it wholly. And then, Lord, let Your love flow through me to those who need it so desperately.