Watchman Daily Devotional,The Fact That Throughout the Bible, God Turns What at First Appears to Be Evil Into a Blessing

Some examples are Joseph being sold into slavery, resulting in saving his family (Genesis 50:20²), Jesus rebuke to the Sidonian widow, resulting in her expressing faith, and her daughter being healed (Matthew 15:28³). Paul's imprisonment gave him the opportunity to write letters that have aided the church for 2000 years, or it resulted in the feeding of the 4000 (Mark 5:194; Matthew 15:37–395). The greatest example, however, is the triumph over sin and death brought about by Jesus' crucifixion. Jonah was relieved of his anguish by the poisonous plant. He was quite happy with that plant and possibly with what it seemed to represent to him. Did he believe that God approved of his rage over Nineveh's repentance? If so, the following morning would be filled with heartbreaking disappointment.

However, God sent a worm to attack the plant the following morning at the crack of dawn, causing it to wither. Jonah 4:7 God appointed a worm in this verse, just as He did with the fish and the shade plant. God has appointed both blessings and things that take away blessings for our benefit. Jonah is being taught that his treatment of the Ninevites is not consistent with the will of God. Jonah may have believed that this vine was proof of his prejudice, but in reality, God was guiding him toward a realization that his heart desperately needed. The vine that Jonah mistook for a blessing served as God's means of revealing to Jonah the true nature of his spiritual situation. God would utilize the analogy of the blessed worm that Jonah mistakenly believed to be a curse to change Jonah's perspective. Blessings are frequently taken for God's favor when they may actually be lessons in our misplaced priorities. Then, we confuse what we perceive as a curse for something that removes what we perceive as a blessing when, in reality, both are God's means of bringing our attention to our sinful perspective.

Jonah ought to have rejoiced when his message was heard and the Ninevites were spared because it was what God wanted. He is instead reveling in the fleeting vine, which is present now and gone tomorrow. The Ninevites have eternal souls. The mundane bodily pleasures we experience each day quickly fade away. Because of this, Colossians 3:1–26 instructs us to set our hearts on things above rather than on earthly things. In the words of the Apostle Paul, "16 So we do not lose heart." Our inner selves are continually replenished, even when our outer selves are deteriorating. 17 As we focus on the unseen rather than the visible, this minor, transient affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. Because what can be seen is temporary, while what cannot be seen is eternal. 4:16–18 in 2 Corinthians

The reality that God uses what at first seems to be evil—all throughout Scripture—for benefits