Have you ever tried to run away from God? Jonah is one of the Bible’s most beloved stories but it more than a a big fish story. It’s a big God story! It starts with Jonah running from God. Not running from His anger but running from His mercy. Jonah can’t understand God’s love for sinners. We’ll get some surprising discoveries about God from the Old Testament book of Jonah. But Jonah is not simply about a great fish or whale (mentioned only four times), or a great city (named nine times), or even a disobedient prophet (mentioned eighteen times). It’s about God! God is mentioned thirty-eight times in these four short chapters, and that will be our focus over the next four weeks. Here’s what we’ll discover about God:
Jonah Chapter 1
- God still speaks to us. (We’ll learn the ways He speaks to us today.)
- When God speaks to us, He may tell us things that we don’t want to hear initially. (It’s okay, for me and most others it takes a while to understand why God’s way is best!)
- When we run from God he continues to pursue us.
- God is always reaching out to unbelievers in many ways.
Jonah Chapter 2
- God is in control. (There is no place that God is not at work.)
- God sometimes gives us difficult situations to get our attention.
- God knows that often the ONLY thing that brings us humbly to prayer is a hard situation.
- God is there when we are broken.
- God always hears us when we pray.
Jonah Chapter 3
- God gives each of us second chances!
- God uses our obedience to do great things.
- God is working all around us.
- God’s Judgment is changed when we decide to change.
Jonah Chapter 4
- God is compassionate and merciful.
- God is patient with our bad attitudes.
- It’s ok to be angry with God. (But what should we do next? We’ll learn how to respond when we’re angry at God.)
Though the Bible consists of sixty-six different books, it tells only one story; there is hope and redemption for everyone! God keeps communicating that message to us, even though we don’t always listen, even when we run, or get angry, God is there, He is loving and He is patient. I hope you can join us for our series and learn about God’s great love for all people, especially those who Runaway!
Darrell
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