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Today's Devotion
From Dr. David Jeremiah
Storms
September 3, 2026
There was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up…. Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up.
Jonah 1:4; Acts 27:20
Recommended Reading:
Acts 27:21-2521 But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. 22 And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, 24 saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ 25 Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me.
Acts 27:21-25
Jonah encountered a storm in the Mediterranean Sea that nearly took his life. A similar thing happened to the apostle Paul in Acts 27 on the same sea and with the same raw terror. In Jonah’s case, the prophet’s sin precipitated the storm. In the case of Paul, the storm arose for other reasons. In both cases, God used the storms to develop the souls of his two servants.
Not every storm happens because of sin, but every storm can be used by God to shape our faith and character and draw us closer to Him. How we wish we could avoid storms! Bereavement! Illness! Anxiety about our loved ones! Yet there has never been a storm beyond the reach of our Savior’s outstretched arm. We often learn more about Him in the storm than in the sunshine.
When you experience a difficult trial, look for how God is helping you to grow in your relationship with Him.
The Lord’s our rock, in Him we hide, a shelter in the time of storm.
Vernon Charlesworth
