GROW PLAN
April 20-26, 2026
Day One
Running from God
The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai. Jonah was a prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. He is mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25. Jonah was a prophet during good times. Jeroboam II was the king in Israel, and he had tremendous military success and prosperity. The Lord told Jonah to take a break from predicting success for Israel and go to Nineveh and preach against the wickedness of the people there. Nineveh was a major city of the Assyrian Empire, a longtime enemy of Israel. The Assyrians were a cruel and violent empire, known for crushing opponents and torturing and executing prisoners. When Jonah was called to go preach to Nineveh, he ran away from God. It wasn’t just that Jonah was scared of how the people of Nineveh might react to him, the prophet did not want them to turn from their wicked ways. As we will find out later in the book, Jonah did not want God to show grace to the people of Nineveh. It wasn’t just that Jonah didn’t want to fulfill his role in God’s plan, Jonah didn’t like God’s plan. So, he ran away from the Lord. He headed in the opposite direction from Nineveh, sailing for Tarshish in what is now Spain, about as far as he figured he could get from the presence of the Lord. We can shake our heads at someone running away from God, but we sometimes do the same thing. When we want to disobey Him, we find excuses to not spend time with Him. When we know we have disobeyed Him, we can be reluctant to go to Him. Our flights from the Lord are almost as ridiculous as Jonah’s.
When have you fled from God or just avoided Him for a while? How did that work out for you?
Day Two
Out of the Spiritual Fight
The story of Jonah is marked by miracles. Everyone thinks of God appointing a giant fish to swallow Jonah, but that’s only one of the many miracles through which the Lord shows His power and authority. The first is the violent storm that the Lord threw against the ship on which Jonah had booked passage to Tarshish. The storm threatened to sink the ship, and everyone on board was scared of drowning. They had even thrown the valuable cargo overboard to save their lives. But while everyone else on the ship was praying to their gods to save the ship and their lives, Jonah was in the bottom of the ship sleeping. The captain of the ship rebuked him and told him to get up and pray to his god for them. But Jonah had taken himself out of the spiritual fight. Jonah couldn’t appeal to the Lord because he was in open rebellion against God. He had failed to obey the Lord and was engaged in a futile flight to avoid the Lord’s presence. He had put himself in a position where he couldn’t appeal to the Lord and pray for himself or the people with him. He had started this spiritual battle and put himself in a position where he could not fight it. Disobeying the Lord usually puts us in this position. Our disobedience makes us spiritually vulnerable, and our disobedience makes us less willing to rely on the only one who can help us, the Lord. Jonah had overestimated his ability to oppose God and thwart the Lord’s plan. He had underestimated the power and authority of God. God was showing him how badly he had miscalculated.
Can you think of any time when you have taken yourself out of a spiritual battle in which you needed to play a part? Are you out of the fight now? Ask the Lord to align you with His plans so that you will reflect and obey Him in all things.
Day Three
God Can Use Anyone
The sailors cast lots to find out who had caused this trouble for them. It was another miracle that the lots clearly selected Jonah. His shipmates probably already suspected Jonah because he had told them he was fleeing from his God. When the lots confirmed their suspicion, they asked him for details. Who are you, and who is the god you are fleeing? When Jonah told them the Lord he was fleeing was the creator of the sea and land, they were livid. Why would you get on a ship after defying the God who made the sea and land? Jonah told them to throw him overboard, but they were reluctant to kill him. Finally, they had no other choice and threw him into the sea. The storm ceased, and all the sailors feared the Lord, offered sacrifices to Him and made vows to Him. Even though Jonah was in open rebellion against God, the Lord used his situation to show this group of people who He is, His power and His authority. The Lord can use us even when we are disobedient, which is not an excuse for disobedience. We see the wisdom of the Lord in the way He showed His nature not just to Jonah but to the sailors with him. If the Lord could do that through a Jonah who was disobedient, what would he do through an obedient Jonah? We cannot thwart nor delay the plan of God. He can use us even in our disobedience. But that disobedience makes things so much harder on us. Let’s not forget that Jonah was the one tossed overboard.
Commit yourself to submitting to all of God’s plans and obeying Him so that you will enjoy the blessings of His success, not just see it happen in spite of you.
Day Four
The Sign of Jonah
The NIV states that the Lord “provided” a great fish to swallow Jonah. Other translations say that the Lord “appointed” a great fish to swallow him. We can see the action of God in this along with all the other miracles in this book. This may have been a previously existing fish. It may have been a fish created specifically by God for this purpose. But the Lord rescued Jonah in a distinctly uncomfortable way, and the prophet spent a miserable three days and nights inside a fish. Jesus referred to this as the “sign of Jonah” when he told people He would be killed and would spend three days in the grave before He was resurrected. Jonah was very different from Jesus, particularly in how Jonah was disobedient toward God while Jesus was faithful, but we can see the Lord providing hints of His plan for the Messiah in Jonah’s story. Jonah urged his shipmates to save themselves by hurling him into the sea. Jesus willingly went to the grave to save us and reconcile us to God. Jonah was sent to Gentiles, to preach repentance to them. Jesus would open up His salvation and a relationship to God to Gentiles, extending His church to all people. Jesus pointed to the hardness of the Jewish leaders’ hearts when he said they would get only the sign of Jonah when they asked for other signs. He was comparing their refusal to repent to the willingness of the people of Nineveh to repent.
As early as Genesis and throughout the Old Testament we can see God hinting at what He would do through Jesus to save us. Thank Him for His love and His plan to reunite us with Him.
Day Five
Jonah’s Prayer
We don’t know when in his journey in the belly of the fish that Jonah prayed this prayer, but it seems to be after the Lord had assured him that he wouldn’t die inside the fish. It seems inconceivable that Jonah wouldn’t have started praying for the Lord to save him as soon as he hit the water, certainly as soon as the huge fish swallowed him. But after he has been praying for the Lord to save him, the Lord has assured him, and he has written this prayer. Jonah prayed about how he called to the Lord from the depths, from the grave. There is repentance here. Jonah prayed about how he had been banished from the Lord’s sight but had been restored. And the core of repentance is seen in verse 6. Jonah prayed that he was trapped by the earth, “but you brought my life up from the pit, O Lord my God.” Jonah had denied the Lord’s power and authority in his life by disobeying God’s instructions. Here, he acknowledged who God is and the authority He has over the prophet’s life. “Oh Lord my God” is a phrase that represents praise, but it also represents submission and humility before the authority and power of an Almighty God. Being stuck in the belly of a fish for a few days will make you humble.
When have you had cause to thank God for saving you when you were considered totally lost like Jonah?
Day Six
Forfeiting Grace
Jonah prayed about the way the Lord had saved him and then vowed to follow the Lord again. He prayed that those who cling to worthless idols “forfeit the grace that could be theirs.” Everyone worships something. For many, it’s their job, money, getting high or even another person. Whenever someone worships anything other than the Lord, they forfeit the grace that could be theirs. Jesus offers us grace. He offers us forgiveness. He offers us life and a relationship with God. He offers us everything worth having. Why would we want to forfeit that? Jonah rejoiced in the fact that: “Salvation comes from the Lord.” And he renewed his vow to obey the Lord. Then the fish vomited Jonah onto dry land. It did not cough him up or open up and allow him to climb up onto dry land, it vomited him onto the beach. The discomfort of the consequences of Jonah’s disobedience continued.
Have you forfeited the grace that Jesus offers you? If so, commit to accepting that grace and His Lordship today. Talk to a group leader or Pastor Chris about your decision.