By Todd Paetznick, August 8, 2024

Frustration.  

What am I doing wrong that is not producing the results that I expect and other people require? Should I be doing something differently? Is there a systemic problem inside the company I work for? Am I here to bless the company because I am a God-follower?  Or is my presence in the organization a reason for our problems?

Is it me?

Remember Jonah?  (Read Jonah chapter 1.) His acts of rebellion against God were the reason for the storm God created, which caused the sailors on the boat on which he was traveling to throw all of their cargo over the side in an attempt to save their own lives.  The sailors lost their cargo and the money it would have earned them while hoping to save their lives. 

The sailors on Jonah’s boat were superstitious; each cried out to their god for mercy (Jonah 1:5).  Presuming one of their gods was angry, they cast lots, using a game of chance, and the presumed influence of one of their gods, to reveal which of them was responsible for the storm.  The lot pointed to Jonah as the reason for their troubles, a paying passenger and not a crew member.  In reality, Jonah’s God was the cause of the storm.  God used the storm to get Jonah’s attention.  Unlike the sailor’s false gods, the power of Jonah’s God was not limited to a city or an element like the weather, the sea, or fire. God’s power extended everywhere and over everything.  It was a lesson Jonah likely knew, but it was one God reminded him of.  God thwarted Jonah’s intended escape using a storm, and the sailor’s fortunes became collateral damage.  Or did they?

We often gloss over the end of this sailor story.  At Jonah’s direction, the sailors threw him over the side of their boat, and the storm stopped immediately.  There was no mistaking the power Jonah’s God had over the storm.  The sailors offered a sacrifice to the one true God and made vows to Him.  They were not followers of God at the story’s beginning, yet the circumstances of their near disaster brought them to God (Jonah 1:15-16).  As an aside, how did the writer of the Book of Jonah know what happened to the sailors unless he had contact with them after the event?  Perhaps their experience was so life-changing and memorable that they told everyone about it.  They may have even run into Jonah later on in Nineveh. 

The sailors’ losses because of Jonah hardly seem fair.  Yet they understood they were a part of a much bigger story.  They happily traded their cargo for their lives and an introduction to the true God. The sailors understood they would not have known about God if Jonah had not told them and if God had not shown up in their circumstances.  

Can we know whether we are responsible for the problems in our workplace or whether our presence is a blessing?  Direct revelation from God about the future would significantly simplify our decision-making and give us the answers we might want.  But, direct revelation from God was rare, even in the Bible.  “The word of the LORD came to Jonah . . . “ (Jonah 1:1 NASB20).  In Jonah’s case, he rejected a direct command from God, thinking he knew better.  He chose to travel in the opposite direction God wanted him to go.  It was because of Jonah’s attempted flight from God that the sailors lost their cargo and nearly their lives.  

 As we get older and grow in our faith, the plans and tasks that God has for us change. What we do as children changes when we become adults, which changes again when we become elders.  Change is necessary, important, and valuable.  God knows the end of our story and has plans for our lives.  What we perceive as a disruptive change may be our small part in His story.  Sometimes, we may experience a nudge from God to get us moving in the direction He wants us to go.  It took a fish to take Jonah in a different direction.

Just because we are confident that we are doing what God wants us to do does not mean He intends us to do the same thing all our lives. In our struggles, we must watch for what God is doing and actively seek His direction through prayer, godly advisors, and searching the scriptures.  What we perceive as personal frustration may be preparation for change. 

Frustration and failure play a role in moving us to do something different.  Solomon writes, “Unless the LORD builds a house, They who build it labor in vain; Unless the LORD guards a city, The watchman stays awake in vain” (Psalm 127:1 NASB20).  Prosperity and success come from the Lord, and so do frustration and failure.