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In the World – May 14, 2017

By May 14, 2017June 2nd, 2017"In the World"

Download In the World for May 14 here.

KIDNAPPED AND HOPELESS

It was three years ago that Boko Haram, the extremely violent ISIS-related terrorist group, kidnapped 276 girls from a school in Nigeria. Some of the students escaped soon after they were kidnapped, and others have escaped or been released in the past year. Last Sunday, 82 of the girls were traded for five terrorist commanders, leaving 113 still missing. In what seems like a hopeless situation, Boko Haram has abducted thousands of people in the last few years, using them as sex slaves, human bombs, or bargaining chips in negotiations.

 

DESPERATE, BUT HOPEFUL

Jonah was also in a hopeless situation, all because of his refusal to answer God’s call. Sinking in the Mediterranean Sea, Jonah felt as if he was “deep in the realm of the dead.” But he cried out to God in hope of being saved, trusting that once again he would be able to praise God in his temple.

 

  1. What are the pros and cons of trading hostages for terrorists?
  2. How did Jonah’s desperate situation differ from that of the girls abducted by Boko Haram?
  3. How did Jonah’s failure to obey God mesh with his expression of hope that God would save him? In what ways are we like Jonah?
  4. What other apparently hopeless “hostage” situations exist in our modern world? Are you aware of any ministries committed to setting such people free?
  5. Are you acquainted personally with someone who was set free from some form of bondage? How did trust in God figure into their escape?

 

—Charles R. Boatman

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Andrew Sloan

Author Andrew Sloan

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