More Faith
Starter Question
Have you ever “run away” from something, like home when you were a kid or a job or relationship? Why? Are you glad you did?
Message Questions
Read Jonah 1:1-3. When we know we’re supposed to do something—especially when we don’t want to do it, and even if we know it’s God prompting us—it is so easy to want to run away. Do you think that’s true? Why do you think we tend to want so badly to run away?
Jonah is a cartoonish satyrical story that reminds us of an extreme version of all our own stories. His story is our story. He runs to the other side of the known world so he doesn’t have to love the people he didn’t want to love. Have you ever learned to love or chosen to help someone you didn’t want to? What did it feel like? Why did you do it?
The Ninevites were the worst of the worst of people. What does it say about God that he loved them too?
Read Jonah 1:4-11. “When we run from God’s plan, we run to pain.” Have you seen that to be true in your own life?
Read Hebrews 12:11. Don’t think of “discipline” only in terms of punishment. It can also imply a season or task that’s hard but eventually good for you. Working out or spending time in prayerful reflection or fasting is “discipline,” too. What discipline are you now grateful for?
Read Jonah 1:13-16. When we run from God, it not only affects us, but it usually also affects others around us. How have you seen our individualistic culture keep us from recognizing our impact on others
Read Jonah 1:17. Rhetorical question: what if the fish was actually a good gift!? Real question: how has God rescued you, even when it was weird?
Challenge
This week, we’re challenging you to be both Jonah and the fish. Rhetorical question: what if God has strategically sent you into someone’s life to be a blessing, a loving presence, and maybe to rescue them from their own running away? Real question: Is it hard to identify a person or two that God specifically wants you to help right now? Why or why not?
What might your next step in pursuing your “one” be?
Prayer
Father,
Thank you for your constant grace. We are so prone to run away from what you want, but you are always there for us anyway. To run away from what’s best for us and others. Thank you for the large fishes that have sometimes kept us from drowning.
Help us to have a heart like yours that cares deeply for the spiritual health and eternal future of every single person around us. But keep us in our weakness from being too overwhelmed by it too. Show us the ONE person to whom you especially want us to invest our time in and attention. Give us the courage to reach out. To invite. To offer to help. To encourage. To love. Especially when we would rather not.
You ran to us through Jesus, even when we gave you no reason to want to.
Amen