Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. Jonah 4:5-8 NIV
Jonah, the prophet of God, sat in the blazing heat and wished that he was dead. He had been through a long journey to get here and even spent some time in a fish hotel. Now Jonah was so angry that God spared the city of Nineveh, that he sulked. He should have been glad that 120,000 people repented and turned to the Lord in prayer and fasting, but he was not. Jonah was unconcerned about the death of 120,000 others, but he himself did not like to be hot.
Every parent knows that at some point your children need to be disciplined. When left to themselves, they will not usually turn out well. When this becomes necessary, it is the parents' job to provide it. So God provided everything that Jonah needed to have the right outlook. God provided a plant to cool him, a worm to eat the plant, then blazing sun and a scorching east wind on his head. Would God do that? Apparently so.
Our Father will also provide everything that we need, and sometimes it involves withholding something that we think we need. God loves you, and wants you to grow and fulfill the plans that He has for you. Therefore, He will not leave you to grow like a weed (Heb 12:6), but will provide whatever it takes along the way to fulfill your dream. He loves us and only desires the best for our lives. When you submit to Him, He can be relentless in bringing that to pass.
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