God Prepared
Submitted by Hunter Grills
October 1, 2024
Jon 4:6-8 And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. 7 But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered. 8 And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.
The account of Jonah has numerous illustrations types and applications that we may glean from.
One example is in chapter four where Jonah was angry to the point that he wanted to die. Three different times in our text the word prepared appears.
First, God prepared a gourd to provide a shadow to cover Jonah.
The next day, God prepared a worm, and it smote the gourd.
Thirdly, God prepared a vehement east wind.
Before God used the gourd, the worm, or the east wind, the Bible tells us that He prepared them.
In 2 Timothy 2:20-21, the Bible says, But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. [21] If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
If we are to be used of God, we need to be prepared for what He has for us. Our hearts and lives should always be in preparation until we are called to our eternal home in Heaven.
So often, young people make the statement that they just don’t know what God’s will is for their life. My encouragement is to use each moment in preparation so we may always be ready to serve in whatever capacity He has.
There is much work to be done. May we spend each day in preparation so that God may use us for His good pleasure.
Consider – God has something for all His children to do. Often, He allows our gourds to perish to teach and prepare us for it.
