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Group Discussion
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Jonah & The Lost Cause
August 9,2025
Week 2: God's Salvation
Jeff Griffin
Jonah 2
Jonah turned his back on Nineveh, certain they were beyond hope, but God saw differently. God’s vision for saving people went beyond the chosen nation of Israel. Jonah’s reluctance revealed his lack of understanding concerning the urgency of Nineveh’s need for rescue. But we see this week that Jonah’s rebellion put urgent rescue front and center in his life.
Do you know the origin story of your name – why your parents gave it to you? Does your name have a particular meaning?
1. There’s the common joke that as long as there are exams, there will be prayer in school. Yet bad times can indeed make us reach out to God. When was the last time you prayed out of distress?
2. Read Jonah 1:17-2:6. Look carefully at this passage. When did Jonah first pray? What are the words of that first prayer as revealed here (2:4)?
3. How did God answer that first prayer (1:17)? Do you think that was the answer Jonah was hoping for? What words in his second prayer from inside the fish (2:1-9) show that he accepted the answer? Describe his attitude, particularly at the close of the prayer. Why would he have been so thankful to be stuck inside the belly of a great fish?
“But you, LORD my God, brought my life up from the pit.” (Jonah 2:6b, NIV)
4. Jeff emphasized in his sermon that “we need to see life through the lens of salvation.” Reflect for a moment on the 5 views that should be changed: God as rescuer, ourselves as rescued, our life as an expression of gratitude for the rescue, the future as completion of our rescue, and others as having potential for rescue. In what area might you have a disconnect from this vision? How could that be impacting your ability (or agreeability) to share the message of rescue with others?
5. Look again at Jonah 2:9. What does Jonah promise to do in response to being rescued? How does that differ from his original reaction to God’s call? We too should be saying “salvation comes from the LORD,” but in our case salvation has a name: Jesus, which means “God saves.” Consider how often you speak the name of Jesus to others. How can you speak it more?
God is a rescue specialist – not us. Pray for a greater vision of God’s saving activity – in your life and in the lives of those around you who have not yet been rescued through saving faith.
“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 3:20, NIV)