GROUP GUIDE
Leading a group through these questions? Here’s a simple guide for 1.5-2 hour GROUP meeting.
Welcome and Opening Prayer. (5 minutes)
Read the passage aloud. (5 minutes)
Guide the group through the questions. (30-60 minutes)
Take time to share prayer requests and pray for each other. (15-30 minutes)
TEACHING RECAP
Summary: What if the hardest moments in your life aren’t random—or even just setbacks? What if God is actually at work in them? When you feel overwhelmed, stuck, or in over your head, it’s easy to assume you’ve gone too far or waited too long. But what if those “deep waters” are where God meets you, hears you, and begins to bring you back to life?
Main Points:
Jonah ends up in deep waters because he runs from God’s love.
Jonah begins to see the deep waters as a place where he can encounter God’s mercy.
Jonah cries out from the deep waters, and God hears and rescues him.
On-Ramps:
What am I turning to instead of God when life feels hard?
Where might God be using difficulty to get my attention right now?
When did I last honestly cry out to God in prayer?
What would it look like to really trust God in my situation today?
Discussion
What stands out to you from this passage? How does this passage most challenge or encourage you?
As his life was fading away, we read that Jonah "remembered the Lord." What does this tell us about the connection between trusting God and turning away from "worthless idols" (things we trust in more than God) to rely solely on Him?
Jonah was saved in a very uncomfortable way (inside a fish). How does this illustrate that God uses even unpleasant circumstances or consequences of our own making as tools for divine discipline, restoration, and ultimately, our salvation?
Reflect on a time when you felt distant from God. How did prayer play a role in your journey back to Him, similar to Jonah's prayer from the depths? How can we practice prayer with other’s who may be in despair?
How do Jonah's experience and reaction provide insights into human nature and our world in contrast to having a relationship with God?
How do you want to respond to this passage in your daily life?
PRAYER
How can we pray for you as a group?
Next week: Jonah 3
