What is your shade and shadow?

UV 386/10,000 Jonah 4 v 10 What is your shade and shadow? Jon 4:10 Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: The Lord made the gourd grow over Jonah to provide him shade from the sun. It made him exceeding glad. Then, He sent a east wind and scorching heat that made Jonah speak a death wish for himself out of his anger and frustration. The Lord used the gourd as a training aid to teach Jonah that He had compassion on the people of Nineveh whom He had made though they did not know Him or acknowledge Him. Similarly, in life we lean on many things and take pleasure in the comfort, prestige and security these perishable things give us. A member of my family who was extremely wealthy depended on his wealth to give him shade and he was exceeding glad about the security and prestige it gave him in the whole state. But, owing to some failed projects, he accumulated an enormous debt in the evening hours of his life. At this stage, he got dejected and kept saying, “ I wish I die quickly.” At this point, the Lord spoke through this scripture and told him that if he cared so much for his prosperity for which he had worked hard and He had removed it for a time, how much more does the Lord care for His children who do not have perishable souls. The Lord has compassion on all He has made. He specially has compassion on His children. He also has compassion on all those who do not believe, know or acknowledge Him as their Father in heaven. He has complete passion, complete understanding, complete love, complete knowledge and shows complete care and protection of all mankind. He has prepared a home and a destiny for each of us. It is not an earthen pit of the grave where the worm destroys our bodies like it destroyed the gourd. We need to take shade while we still have breath in our nostrils. We should find our shelter in the shadow of the Almighty, not in the shadow of our wealth, or position or influence or achievements. We need to be exceedingly glad as we take our shade under the wings of the Lord. Our soul must delight in God much more than Jonah delighted in the gourd. Prateep V Philip