When God Overwhelms (Jonah 1:4-6; Mark 4:35-41)

WHEN GOD OVERWHELMS
JONAH 1:4-6
MARK 35-41

Turn to God for grace when you’re overwhelmed by the storms of life.

I.    A CONFRONTATION (1:4) 
    A.    The Big Wind (1:4; cf. 1 Samuel 20:33, Jeremiah 23:18-20)
    B.    The Breaking Boat (1:4; cf. Genesis 6:17-18)

II.    A CONTRAST (1:5)
    A.    The Sailors’ Fear  (1:5a; cf. Mark 4:35-41)
    B.    The Sleeping Prophet (1:5b; cf Psalm 139:3)

III.    A CAPTAIN (1:6)
    A.    The Captain of the Boat(1:6; cf. Jonah 1:1)
    B.    The Watching God (1:6; cf. John 3:16)
    C.    The Messianic Captain (Luke 22:46)
    D.    A Table for the Overwhelmed

DISCUSSION STARTERS

1.    Monday—What sort of things overwhelmed you? When you’re overwhelmed and you feel like you’re at your wit’s end, what do you tend to do? 
2.    Tuesday—Why does God hurl a storm at Jonah and the sailors? What do storms represent in the Bible?
3.    Wednesday—What does the boat that Jonah and the sailors represent? How did the sailors respond to the ship breaking-up? How did Jonah respond? How would you respond?
4.    Thursday—How does being overwhelmed make us rethinking our priorities? What clue does the narrator give us that suggest that the sailors knew that “a god” or something supernatural was behind the storm? How are you like Jonah when responding to the storm of life?
5.    Friday—How does God use the captain in the narrative? What kind of captain is Jesus? And how is that a comfort to you?