#1271. God wants to teach us His concerns (16/5/26)
- Matt Beaney
- May 16
- 5 min read
Welcome to the Come to Jesus Daily Devotional. This week Our reflections have been inspired by themes from our recent church weekend away, and I pray they’ve been of encouragement to you.
Today, from the life of Jonah, we see how God wants to teach us His concerns.
To watch this devotional, select the link below:
‘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. He wanted to die, and said, ‘It would be better for me to die than to live.’ But God said to Jonah, ‘Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?’ ‘It is,’ he said. ‘And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.’ But the Lord said, ‘You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?’”(Jonah 4:5–11)
1. Jonah loves his comfort more than lost people
Jonah was delighted when God provided a plant to ease his discomfort. But when the plant was destroyed, Jonah became furious—so much so that he wished he were dead. What made him so upset? The loss of comfort.
God uses this moment to expose Jonah’s heart: Jonah was deeply invested in a temporary plant, yet unmoved by the potential destruction of an entire city full of people. Jonah loved himself, but not others.
It’s natural to rejoice when our needs are met. But like Jonah, we can easily slip into self-centredness—grieving more over small personal inconveniences than the eternal fate of those around us.
Jesus reminds us that the heart of God’s law is love—not just for Him, but for others:
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37–40)
And Jesus presses the point even further:
‘Do to others as you would have them do to you. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.’ (Luke 6:31-33)
We’re called to a love that goes beyond preference and comfort. A love that reflects God’s compassion.
2. Learning to Love What God Loves
It’s easy to empathise with Jonah—he’s been through a lot. But God is not just concerned with Jonah’s journey; He wants to reshape Jonah’s heart to reflect His own.
Jesus offers the perfect example:
“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.” (Mark 6:34)
Jonah saw the same kind of crowd—and lacked compassion. Jesus saw their lostness and was moved to teach, heal, and ultimately die to bring them home to the Father.
God ends the book of Jonah with a question: “Should I not have concern for that great city?” It’s a question that still echoes in our hearts today.
Today, let’s ask ourselves:
How concerned am I about the needs and salvation of others in this ‘great city’?
Do I grieve more over my own comfort than over those far from God?
How is God inviting me to pray, act, and love more like Jesus?
How and who does God want me to seek to bring to Jesus?
Let’s pray together
“Lord Jesus, I thank you for your mercy, and for revealing your love in dying for sinners like me. Forgive me when I’ve been selfish or indifferent to the needs of others. Teach me to care about what you care about. Fill my heart with your compassion, and use me to bring hope to this world. Amen.”
Community Group Notes
1. Notices
It might be good to begin with notices. Please share from this week’s Church News.
2. Icebreaker
How has God been speaking to you from His Word this week, and how has this helped you?
3. Worship together
Let’s begin our time together by lifting our eyes and hearts to worship our great God. Perhaps you have readings and songs that you would like to use together. Let’s be open to the gifts that the Spirit wants to give in order to encourage one another.
4. Study and pray together
Balanced Time Allocation - Please ensure a balanced focus on discussion, SIV (Serve, Invest, and Invite), and prayer so that each section is meaningful and fruitful.
This study is inspired by our recent weekend away, where Henk Kirsten spoke to us. I’ve titled this series God Is Preparing Us. Over the weekend, Henk shared insights from the lives of Jacob, Jonah, and Jonathan with his young armour bearer. In each of these biblical characters, we see how God enlarged their faith and refined their character to prepare them for His greater purposes.
Discussion:
Read Jonah 4:1–11. What does God teach Jonah in this passage? What might He be teaching us through Jonah’s experience?
Read 1 Samuel 14:1–7. What does this story show us about acting on the “perhaps” of faith?
Read 1 Samuel 14:8–15. What can we learn about discerning God’s voice when we are seeking to do His will?
Reflect on the young armour bearer’s response. What does his attitude teach us about being an encouragement to others—especially to those stepping out in faith and leadership?
SIV (Serve, Invest, and Invite)
Mission inspiration from the text - Is there anything from the theme of our weekend away that inspires us in our mission?
Share Stories – Have you had any recent experiences of Serving, Investing, or Inviting someone toward Jesus? Let’s encourage one another by sharing testimonies of God at work through us.
Practical Next Steps – Who is God putting on your heart to reach? Discuss and pray for those you regularly engage with, including any ‘people of peace’ (* See note) in your life—those open to you and the gospel.
Let’s pray together:
Let’s pray for one another based on our study, and bring before God any other needs or requests for prayer.
Comments