Jonah - When God Calls

June 15, 2008 - Rev. Rurel Ausley, Rev. Kevin Kelly

"Emergency Call" - Jonah 2

I. No matter what you have done or where you are, God will hear your desperate prayer. God hears the prayers of those who run. Jonah 2:1-2

II. In Jonah’s hindsight, it was God that had engineered his circumstances. God engineers the circumstances that bring the runner back! Jonah 2:3

III. God’s discipline is thorough. Jonah 2:4-7

IV. To run from God is to miss out on His loving kindness. Jonah 2:8

V. God still has a plan for those who run. Jonah 2:10-3:3

1. If you were Jonah, in the belly of the fish, what thoughts would flash through your mind? What was Jonah thinking and feeling? When have you felt this way? In verses 1-6, what does Jonah say God did for him? Why do you think Jonah said that it was God who “hurled him into the deep”?

2. Where does Jonah show hope in God’s deliverance in spite of his situation? (vs. 4, 6-7, 9) Compare verse 3 with 1:15. How do you think Jonah is viewing his circumstances? God’s control? God’s purposes?

3. Before this incident, do you think Jonah was trusting in any worthless idols? What grace had he forfeited? When does Jonah remember the Lord? What else does he remember? (vs. 8-9) What aspects of this prayer sound like confession or repentance? What idols have robbed you of experiencing God’s grace?

4. What are some worthless idols we can cling to instead of putting our hope in God? Describe some ways we forfeit the grace of God when we trust in idols? What idols do you need to give up? How is God currently pursuing you with His loving-kindness?

5. “Salvation comes from the Lord!” In what ways do you think Jonah’s deliverance by God changed him? How has God brought your life “up from the pit”? How did this change you and was the change permanent? Why do we often return to our old ways once the danger is past? Would you rather God save you from an outward circumstance or from an inward struggle with sin? At salvation, how does God change us on the inside?

6. Why is prayer often our last resort? Share one or two words that would best describe how you view prayer? On a scale of 1-10, rate your prayer life. What would make your prayer life more meaningful?

7. Prayer should not be about getting God to do what we want. Instead, effective prayer is our coming into agreement with what He wants. How can we keep the focus of our prayers on God’s will? What is your biggest prayer need?

8. What will you do this week to intentionally connect more with God? Suggestions: a) write your prayers and God’s response, b) choose a verse or passage to personalize and pray (Ephesians 1:17-19, 3:15-20; Psalm 139, 142, 145, 147; Colossians 1:9-11), and/or c) give God thanks throughout the day.

9. What are you currently going through that causes you to feel helpless, hopeless or powerless? Seek the Lord in the midst of this and ask Him to bring you to a deeper surrender, trust and dependence on Him. Thank Him in advance for saving you, in His way and in His time.