Seeking Judgment?

This morning I thought I should read out of Jonah.

Jonah 3:10 - 4:2
[10] "When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened."

[1] "But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. [2] He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing 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."

When I read this, I think of the tendency of some Christian's, who are talking about God's judgement of America, to believe that God's judgement will somehow prove they are right. There is almost an eager anticipation of God's judgement, so that the people will turn back to the Lord. I think at times this type of thinking also invades the teaching about end-times we find in our churches.

My personal belief is that we should be crying out for mercy, and compassion, asking the Lord to relent, rather than judge. I am also so grateful that we live under the New Covenant, where Jesus paid the price for sin, and took the punishment upon himself. Rather than focusing on the last days and the judgments of God, we should instead be asking for more time, for more souls, for God to relent and have mercy and compassion on all those around us who are not yet saved. We shouldn't be angry with God when He doesn't judge, like Jonah was, but should rather rejoice that we have more time and a chance to reach more of the Lost.

Rather than praying for judgment to come and turn us back to God, we should be praying for God-fearing leaders who will stand by their beliefs and direct our laws and legislation back to the founding principles and values, which were based on a Christian mindset. We need to pray for a change of heart for those in the media who are so anti-Christian. Let us pray for a change of heart and true repentance to come upon our nation that is the result of God's kindness and mercy.