Jonah – Week 2: God’s Plans Are Wrecking Mine This week in our Jonah series, we unpack one of the most relatable truths in the Bible: Sometimes, God’s plans completely interrupt ours. Jonah receives a call to go to Nineveh. Instead, he books a trip to Tarshish. The result? A downward spiral into disobedience, a life-threatening storm, and a surprising rescue via a giant fish.
God’s Plans Are Wrecking Mine
Text: Jonah 1:1–17
Big Idea: When you run from God, you don’t just delay your purpose—you invite a storm. But even then, His grace finds you.
I. The Setup: A Clear Command, a Defiant Run
God calls Jonah to go to Nineveh, but Jonah heads to Tarshish—the opposite direction.
This is not confusion. It’s defiance.
“If you want to run from God, the devil will always offer you a ride.”
Jonah rationalizes sin, something we all do: our minds make excuses for what our spirits know is wrong.
II. Downward Spiral of Disobedience
Jonah’s journey is literally and spiritually descending:
He goes down to Joppa (1:3)
Down into the ship (1:5)
Down into the sea (2:3)
Sin always takes us downward.
Delayed obedience is still disobedience. True maturity shortens the gap between hearing God’s Word and obeying it.
III. Storms Have a Purpose
God sends a storm—not to destroy Jonah, but to redirect him.
While the sailors panic, Jonah sleeps—numbed by rebellion.
Jonah confesses who he is (1:9), but he still refuses to repent.
Eventually, he tells the crew to throw him overboard. Only then does the sea grow calm.
IV. The Wake-Up Call: Sin Affects Others
Jonah’s disobedience nearly kills an entire boat of people.
Our rebellion never just affects us—it impacts everyone around us.
But even in this moment, God is working. The sailors end up worshiping the true God.
V. God’s Mercy in a Fish-Shaped Package
Jonah doesn’t drown. God provides a fish.
This wasn’t punishment—it was preservation.
Sometimes, what feels like rock bottom is actually the start of mercy.