1. Priscilla found truth in Proverbs 13:20, “A companion of fools suffers harm.” Have you ever found yourself pulled into a debacle you hadn’t expected? Were you able to learn from the experience?
2. Priscilla sees herself as having been abducted when Captain Prescott refuses to turn the ship around, whereas Captain Prescott sees Pricilla as an unwanted stowaway. Tell of a time your line of thinking conflicted with another person’s opinion. Were you able to see the other person’s perspective, have them see yours, or meet somewhere in the middle?
3. Do you have an irrational fear? (Mine is spiders, which I try to hide so my three boys so they don’t play practical jokes on me.) How has your fear hindered you? Read 2 Timothy 1:7. If God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, do you think we can overcome our irrational fears? If so, how?
4. Captain Prescott was of a singular mind in getting his ship to its destination. Has God ever disrupted your particular mindset or changed your destination? If so, how and when?
5. Priscilla wanted to go home so badly that she neglected Captain Prescott’s commands. Have you ever thought your way was better than God’s ways or those in authority over you? How did it turn out?
6. To reassure Priscilla that even though her parents might have forgotten about her, God hasn’t, Tobias mentions the Bible story where David’s father, Jesse, had forgotten about David in the fields when the prophet Samuel came to anoint one of Jesse’s children. Jesse never expected his youngest sheep-herding son to be king. Has God used anyone unexpected in your life to accomplish His will or sent someone who felt like a hindrance but was a blessing in hindsight?
7. Priscilla hears from God through nature. Is there a way that God speaks to you more than others, for example, through others, nature, scripture, or worship?
8. Many British soldiers died needlessly in the Battle of New Orleans even though a peace treaty had already been established between England and America. Word never reached the commanders in time. Under the command of General Jackson, with the help of frontiersmen, Indians, and even pirates (including Jean Lafitte, written about in The Merchant’s Yield), the Americans beat back the British troops. If Tobias had fulfilled his mission and joined the British naval fighting, he and his crew likely would have died. Have you ever thanked God for the times you might not have known He saved you from disaster? Or have you had any close calls where you thanked God for his intervention?
9. Tobias talks about Annie and how he had to trust God to avenge her death. How do we let go and let God handle our need for justice? Can you give examples from your own life?
10. Priscilla doesn’t know if anyone would even notice her disappearance, but when they find Maggie, Priscilla witnesses how God will leave the ninety-nine to go after the one lost sheep. Have you ever felt lost or forgotten until you realized God had a bigger plan?
11. Miss Dodd wasn’t whom she seemed. Have you ever misjudged someone? How were you able to rectify the situation?
12. God impresses upon Tobias, Go after my lamb. We may not be able to do for all, but we can do for one.Is there someone God has put in your life that you feel compelled to go after?