Group Guide
This Week's City 7:
5. Why do I follow Jesus? I follow Jesus because Jesus rose from the dead proving that He is the way, the truth and the life.
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
Ice-Breaker:
- What’s your best “Instagram vs. Reality” moment? Share about a time when everything looked great on the outside, but behind the scenes it was stressful, awkward, chaotic, or downright painful.
Scripture
Jonah 1:17-2:10
17 Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.
2 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish. 2 He said,
“I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and Lord, you heard me! 3 You threw me into the ocean depths, and I sank down to the heart of the sea. The mighty waters engulfed me; I was buried beneath your wild and stormy waves. 4 Then I said, ‘O Lord, you have driven me from your presence. Yet I will look once more toward your holy Temple.’
5 “I sank beneath the waves, and the waters closed over me. Seaweed wrapped itself around my head. 6 I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O Lord my God, snatched me from the jaws of death! 7 As my life was slipping away, I remembered the Lord. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple. 8 Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God’s mercies. 9 But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.”
10 Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach.
17 Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.
2 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish. 2 He said,
“I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and Lord, you heard me! 3 You threw me into the ocean depths, and I sank down to the heart of the sea. The mighty waters engulfed me; I was buried beneath your wild and stormy waves. 4 Then I said, ‘O Lord, you have driven me from your presence. Yet I will look once more toward your holy Temple.’
5 “I sank beneath the waves, and the waters closed over me. Seaweed wrapped itself around my head. 6 I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O Lord my God, snatched me from the jaws of death! 7 As my life was slipping away, I remembered the Lord. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple. 8 Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God’s mercies. 9 But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.”
10 Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach.
Discussion Questions:
It’s easy to get caught up in the miracle of the great fish and completely miss what’s happening inside Jonah’s heart. When Jonah finally prays from the depths, his prayer still isn’t perfect. There are traces of self-pity and blame woven into his words. Yet God responds anyway. God doesn’t wait for Jonah to have polished repentance before extending mercy. Think about your own moments of failure, pain, or correction:
Being swallowed by a giant fish sounds terrifying... unless the alternative is drowning! What looked like judgment was actually rescue. The fish wasn’t proof that God had abandoned Jonah; it was proof that God refused to let Jonah destroy himself.
Jonah spent three days in darkness before he finally surrendered. But the moment his prayer ended, the fish released him onto dry land. That means while Jonah felt abandoned and stuck, God was already moving the rescue into place.
One of the enemy’s greatest weapons is shame. Shame convinces us that we’ve gone too far, failed too badly, or hidden too much to come back to God. But the Gospel tells a different story. God redeemed people like John Newton, a former slave trader who later wrote “Amazing Grace,” and He continues rescuing broken people today.
Brandon spoke directly to three different groups of people. For many of us, the hardest place to be isn’t running from God ourselves... it’s standing on the sidelines watching someone we love do it. Maybe it’s a child, a spouse, a sibling, or a close friend. Watching someone spiral downward can be exhausting, painful, and discouraging, and over time it becomes tempting to quietly believe they’re beyond help. But Jonah’s story reminds us that God pursues stubborn people. The challenge was not to stop praying, but to pray boldly: “Lord, do whatever it takes to get their attention. Send the storm. Send the whale. Don’t let them keep running without interruption.”
- When you come to God, do you tend to clean up your emotions and give Him the church version of yourself, or are you honest about the frustration, anger, fear, and confusion you’re actually carrying?
- Where might pride, bitterness, or a “pouty toddler” attitude be keeping you from simply turning back to Him?
Being swallowed by a giant fish sounds terrifying... unless the alternative is drowning! What looked like judgment was actually rescue. The fish wasn’t proof that God had abandoned Jonah; it was proof that God refused to let Jonah destroy himself.
- Can you identify a season that felt painful, frustrating, or disruptive in the moment, but later you realized God was actually protecting or redirecting you?
- How would your perspective change if you stopped viewing hardship as God punishing you, and instead saw it as the loving discipline of a Father who refuses to let you drift away unnoticed?
Jonah spent three days in darkness before he finally surrendered. But the moment his prayer ended, the fish released him onto dry land. That means while Jonah felt abandoned and stuck, God was already moving the rescue into place.
- Are there any areas of your life that currently feel heavy, uncertain, or like you’re running out of hope?
- Jonah’s rescue also wasn’t clean or glamorous... he was vomited onto the beach. Sometimes God’s help comes through uncomfortable places like accountability, counseling, confession, or community. What would it look like for you to lean into community instead of isolating yourself?
One of the enemy’s greatest weapons is shame. Shame convinces us that we’ve gone too far, failed too badly, or hidden too much to come back to God. But the Gospel tells a different story. God redeemed people like John Newton, a former slave trader who later wrote “Amazing Grace,” and He continues rescuing broken people today.
- What hidden struggle, compromise, or failure are you afraid to bring into the light? Where is shame trying to keep you stuck or silent?
- Jonah ends his prayer by declaring, “Salvation comes from the Lord alone.” The Hebrew word points us toward the name Yeshua, Jesus! How does looking at the cross remind you that no person is beyond the reach of God’s grace?
Brandon spoke directly to three different groups of people. For many of us, the hardest place to be isn’t running from God ourselves... it’s standing on the sidelines watching someone we love do it. Maybe it’s a child, a spouse, a sibling, or a close friend. Watching someone spiral downward can be exhausting, painful, and discouraging, and over time it becomes tempting to quietly believe they’re beyond help. But Jonah’s story reminds us that God pursues stubborn people. The challenge was not to stop praying, but to pray boldly: “Lord, do whatever it takes to get their attention. Send the storm. Send the whale. Don’t let them keep running without interruption.”
- Who in your life have you been tempted to give up on, avoid, or stop praying for? How does Jonah’s story remind you that no one is too stubborn, too rebellious, or too far gone for God to pursue?
Prayer Topics:
- Pray for the courage to come before God honestly instead of hiding behind appearances or religious performance.
- Ask God to help you see the storms and struggles in your life through the lens of His love and pursuit, not condemnation.
- Pray that God would break the power of shame and remind you that rescue, healing, and restoration are possible because of Jesus.
- Pray that God would do whatever it takes to get the attention of loved ones who are running from Him.
No Comments