The Reluctant Prophet

Devotional Thought: God’s call is clear, but our response isn’t always obedience. Why did Jonah run? Fear? Prejudice? Anger? Consider a time you've sensed a clear direction from God. What makes us want to run from God’s assignments, especially when they involve people or places we find difficult?

Spiritual Practice: Prayer of Honesty. In your prayer today, be brutally honest with God. Name one thing—a fear, a resentment, a perceived inconvenience—that has made you hesitant to obey Him recently. Tell Him directly, asking for a willing heart.

Conversation Starter with your Kiddos: "If you could choose to go on an adventure to any place in the world, where would you go? What about a place you would never want to go? Why? (This helps them understand Jonah's feeling about Nineveh)."

The Storms We Cause

Devotional Thought: Our disobedience never affects only us. Jonah’s rebellion endangered an entire ship of innocent sailors. How might your choices—to obey or disobey—be creating "storms" in the lives of people around you (family, friends, coworkers)?

Spiritual Practice: Examen of Impact. Review your last 24 hours. Ask God to show you one action or attitude that positively affected someone, and one that may have negatively affected them. Confess the latter and give thanks for the former.

Conversation Starter with your Kiddos: "Have you ever done something wrong that got a brother/sister/friend in trouble too? How did that feel? What does this story teach us about how our actions affect others?"

Grace in the Deep

Devotional Thought: God’s discipline (the fish) and His grace (the rescue) are often intertwined. Jonah hits rock bottom—the watery depths—and there he remembers God. When have you experienced God’s presence most powerfully in a time of difficulty or consequences?

Spiritual Practice: Prayer from a "Hard Place." Identify a current challenge or "deep place" in your life. Instead of praying for immediate escape, pray Jonah’s prayer from chapter 2. Thank God for His presence in the difficulty before asking for deliverance from it.

Conversation Starter with your Kiddos: "What’s the darkest, scariest place you can imagine? (e.g., under the bed, a deep cave). How would you feel if you knew God was right there with you in it? That’s what Jonah learned."

The Power of a Message

Devotional Thought: God can use even a reluctant, half-hearted messenger to bring about massive change. The power is in His Word, not our eloquence or enthusiasm. Are you withholding a simple word of truth, encouragement, or warning because you feel unqualified or unwilling?

Spiritual Practice: One-Sentence Obedience. Ask God for one person to encourage or one truth to share today. Do it simply and directly, trusting God with the results.

Conversation Starter with your Kiddos: "Jonah only said, ‘40 days and Nineveh will be destroyed!’ What’s one really important thing you could tell your friend in just one sentence? (e.g., ‘God loves you,’ ‘I’m sorry,’ ‘Thank you’)."

The Angry Heart of Grace

Devotional Thought: Jonah’s theology was correct—he knew God was merciful—but his heart was wrong. He wanted mercy for himself but judgment for others. Where in your life are you secretly (or not so secretly) hoping for God’s justice on someone while relying on His grace for yourself?

Spiritual Practice: Prayer for an "Enemy." Think of a person or group you struggle to love or with whom you disagree strongly. Spend one minute praying for God’s blessing and kindness to be evident in their life today.

Conversation Starter with your Kiddos: "Have you ever been really, really mad when someone who was mean didn’t get in trouble? Why does that make us mad? Jonah was mad that God was being nice to people who had been bullies."

What Do You Love?

Devotional Thought: God uses a simple object lesson. Jonah’s compassion is intensely personal—he cares deeply for a plant that benefited him. His anger is selfish. What temporary comforts or blessings in your life do you care about more than the eternal souls of people around you?

Spiritual Practice: The Plant Check. Identify one "plant" in your life—a comfort, convenience, or possession you enjoy. In prayer, hold it with open hands before God. Ask, "Does my love for this keep me from loving people you love?"

Conversation Starter with your Kiddos: "What’s one thing you would be super upset about if it broke or went away? (e.g., a toy, a blanket). How would you feel if you got upset about that but didn’t care if a friend was sad? Jonah was more upset about his shade plant than a whole city."

God’s Expansive Heart

Devotional Thought: The book ends with a question, leaving the reader to answer. God’s love is wildly expansive, encompassing people, animals, and entire systems. Does your heart reflect God’s heart? Where is it too small, too tribal, too self-centered?

Spiritual Practice: Heart Expansion Prayer. Pray slowly: "God, give me your eyes for... 1) the person I find most irritating, 2) the group I understand least, 3) the part of your creation I usually ignore." Sit in silence after each, asking Him to expand your capacity for compassion.

Conversation Starter with your Kiddos: "God asked Jonah, ‘Shouldn’t I care about all these people and animals?’ Who are some people or even animals that you think God cares about that might surprise us? (Help them think of someone very different from your family)."

1. Reflect: Write a “Jonah Letter” to God

Take 20 minutes to write a reflective journal entry or letter to God, answering the question He leaves hanging at the end of the book. Borrow Jonah’s honest, emotional tone. Ask yourself:

• Where is my “Nineveh”? (A person, group, or situation I’ve been avoiding or judging.)

• What is my “plant”? (A personal comfort I prioritize over compassion.)

• What “storm” might my attitude be causing for others?

End the letter with a prayer asking God to give you His heart for one person you’ve struggled to love.

2. Act: One “Nineveh” Gesture

Choose one practical step to embody God’s expansive mercy toward your own “Nineveh”:

• Pray intentionally for someone you disagree with or resent for seven days straight.

• Perform a small, anonymous kindness for someone who fits that description.

• Initiate a low-stakes conversation with someone from a different background, faith, or perspective, with the only goal being to listen and understand.
  Keep it simple. The goal is not to “fix” but to faithfully take one step in the direction God called Jonah.

3. Study: Explore the “Sign of Jonah” in the New Testament

Dedicate a study session to seeing how Jesus uses Jonah’s story. Read Matthew 12:38-41 and Matthew 16:1-4. Reflect on:

• How does Jesus reinterpret Jonah’s three-day experience?

• What does it mean that Jesus calls Himself “greater than Jonah”?

• How does the call to repentance in Jonah connect to the gospel message of Jesus?
  This helps you connect the Old Testament narrative to the heart of the New Testament.

4. Recalibrate: Conduct a “Mercy Audit”

Over a few days, review key areas of your life and ask where your compassion might be limited. Consider:

• Media Consumption: Whose stories do I hear/avoid? Who is portrayed as the “enemy”?

• Conversations: Do I speak with contempt or grace about certain groups or individuals?

• Prayer Life: Who consistently appears on my prayer list? Who is absent?

• Resources (Time, Money, Attention): Toward whom/what do they primarily flow?
  Don’t just audit—ask God to reveal one specific adjustment to make your mercy more closely resemble His.

5. Create: Make a Visual Reminder with Your Family

Engage your children (or your own inner child) by creating a simple craft that encapsulates Jonah’s lesson. For example:

• A “God’s Big Heart” Poster: Draw a large heart. On one side, draw or write things we easily care for (our family, our pet, our toys). On the other side, draw or write people/things God cares for that we sometimes forget (the bully, people who look different, people in far-away countries).

• A “Plant vs. People” Diorama: Using a shoebox, create the scene of Jonah under his withered plant looking at the big city. Talk about what matters more as you build.
  Use the activity to discuss the week’s readings and to pray together for God to give your family a bigger, more merciful heart.