What was your last arguement about?
Was it resolved, or postponed?
Have you ever helped friends get through a disagreement?
What was your strategy to resolve the issue?
Have you ever been angry at God?
How do you resolve a conflict with God?
God is perfect, so all conflicts involve a misunderstanding on our part, where the fastest resolution is drawing close to God, which can be hard at these times.
There was a man named Jonah who was angry that God didn’t destroy a city who was doing lots of evil things, and did not even want to live, because he wanted judgement for his enemies, not forgiveness, but God wanted to give them another chance, since they realized they were wrong, and changed their ways as soon as they were confronted with their sin. Here is what I read in the book of Jonah, Chapter 4:
Jonah
(4:1) But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry.
(4:2) He prayed to the LORD, “O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.
(4:3) Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
(4:4) But the LORD replied, “Have you any right to be angry?”
(4:5) Jonah went 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.
(4:6) Then the LORD God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine.
(4:7) But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered.
(4:8) When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”
(4:9) But God said to Jonah, “Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?”
“I do,” he said. “I am angry enough to die.”
(4:10) But the LORD said, “You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight.
(4:11) But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?” -NIV
When our perspective changes, and we see a bigger picture, it helps us to see why others differ with us, and with that knowledge, we are better equipped to talk effectively with them, whether they are friends, family, or even God himself.
How could someone apply this?
(Give an example of how you might imagine someone else’s point of view.)
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