Jonah Chapter 2
Divine Interruption: God Speaks to a Fish
Introduction
Jonah’s rebellion has finally caught up to him and he’s starting to realize it. In this passage, Jonah cried out to God from the belly of a great fish. Here we aren’t simply reading a newspaper article reporting what happened, we get a glimpse into the human experience and personal struggle.
Main Idea: We are never far from the presence of God. He always hears the prayers of His people.
Conversation Starter
Q. Can you think of an unpleasant time in your life where God used it to refocus your attention back to him?
Q. According to verse 2, how does God respond to Jonah’s prayer of desperation?
Q. Why is it so important that we understand both our need for forgiveness (i.e., due to our sinfulness) and the immense breadth of God’s love (salvation comes from the Lord)? What happens if you neglect to acknowledge either of these?
Q. Verse 9 can be viewed as a theme of the entire Bible. Jonah declares, “Salvation belongs to the Lord.” What do you think he means by this?
Q. In this passage, God saves Jonah from an inward struggle before delivering him from external difficulties.
Q. What do you make of this? Have you experienced something like this before? What does this teach us about God?
Personal Reflection and Application
Q. Prayer is not simply receiving things that we want from God. Prayer is more about aligning our hearts, minds, and wills with who God is.
Q. What helps you connect with God in your prayer life?
Challenge
Jonah’s prayer in this chapter is a psalm of thanksgiving. Jonah thanks God for using the fish to save him from drowning. Take some time this week to compose your own psalm of thanksgiving. This could be about a time God delivered you from trouble, brought you to Jesus, or some other miraculous thing He has done for you. Other examples you can look at: Psalms 30, 34, 66, 73, 105-106, 111-118.