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Jonah and the Whale
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Application:
We need to pray for children who have never heard of Jesus, that
they will let Him become their Best Friend.
Bible Text:
Jonah chapters 1 to 4.
Age Group:
Preschool to Grade 2.
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Lesson:
Jonah was a prophet in Israel and one day the Lord told Jonah to go
to Nineveh. He was to tell the people there to turn away from
their wicked ways. But, Jonah didn't want to go to Nineveh,
and so he ran away to the seaport of Joppa. He found a ship
that was going the opposite way going to Tarshish. He was
hoping that he could escape from the God. Jonah boarded the
the ship, but no sooner was it at sea than the Lord sent a terrible
storm. The wind howled and the waves beat against the ship
almost causing it to sink. The sailors and the captain were
afraid, and so the captain begged Jonah to pray to his God so that
they could all be saved.
Jonah is the Guilty One:
The sailors decided to cast lots to see whose fault it was that the
terrible storm had come. So they cast lots, and the lot fell
to Jonah. He admitted that he was running away from doing what
God asked him to do. He told the sailors to throw him into the
sea and then the storm would stop. Although they didn't want
to hurt him, the sailors prayed to the Lord, and then did as Jonah
asked. They picked him up and threw him over the side of the
ship into the sea. They could hardly believe it when the sea
ceased its raging and the waves died down, and all became quiet and
peaceful.
The Big Fish:
But God did not want Jonah to drown and die, so He caused a great fish
(we think it was a whale) to appear just as Jonah was being thrown
overboard. The whale opened its enormous mouth and swallowed
Jonah. All of him, as though he was just a little fish!
Jonah stayed in the belly of the whale for three days and three
nights, praying to the Lord for forgiveness. And the Lord heard
Jonah and spoke to the great fish and it spat Jonah out onto dry
land.
Jonah Listens and Obeys:
Then God spoke to Jonah a second time, telling him again to go to
Nineveh. This time Jonah listened and obeyed God, and went to
Ninevah just as the Lord asked him to. And the people of
Nineveh believed Jonah when he said that unless they turned from
their wicked ways, the city would be destroyed in forty days.
The people fasted and prayed and when God saw how they turned
from their evil ways, He forgave them and did not destroy them.
Jonah was angry with the Lord for having forgiven the wicked people of
Nineveh. He felt they should have been punished for their evil
ways. But, the Lord spoke again to Jonah, and taught him to
pity the people and pray for them, and to care for them. Just
as Jonah had cared for a little plant that had sheltered him from
the sun.
There are many children who have never heard of Jesus and how He loves
them. We need to pray for these children and to care for them.
We can tell them about Jesus and how he died so that they can
go to Heaven one day and live there forever. Perhaps like
Jonah, they will listen and let Jesus be their Best Friend.
God bless!
Copyright © 2007 Sharon Children's Ministries
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