Devotion 3: When The Storm Turns To Worship

Pastor John Carter

Sometimes, it’s not the calm that brings us closer to God; it’s the storm or the chaos of the storm. The sailors aboard Jonah’s ship were caught in a terrifying storm. These men, who were likely experienced seafarers, had seen storms before, but this one was different because it had a divine origin and a divine purpose. Ever consider the storm you're going through as having a divine origin or a divine purpose? When their prayers to false gods failed and their human efforts proved useless, they cast lots, desperate for answers. God, in His sovereignty, allowed the lot to fall on Jonah, the runaway prophet.

What follows is unexpected. Jonah admits that he serves “the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land” (Jonah 1:9). The sailors are terrified. Yet, through Jonah’s confession and the calming of the sea after he’s thrown overboard, something remarkable happens: the pagan sailors who previously were calling out to their false gods become worshipers of the one true God.

“Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.” Jonah 1:16 is easy to skip over as we’re caught up in the drama of the sea and the great fish, but pause here. These pagan sailors had an incredible encounter, not by seeing miracles alone, but by encountering the fearsome mercy and power of Yahweh. Their response was not just relief, it was reverence. They “feared the Lord exceedingly,” offered sacrifices, and made vows. In other words, their fear turned into faith. This verse reminds us that God is always working, even through our disobedience, to draw people to Himself. Jonah was running. He was not trying to be a missionary to Nineveh, let alone to a boat full of pagans. But God still used Jonah’s story, even Jonah’s failure, to reveal His greatness and His mercy. God could have taken the whole ship down and still taken Jonah with a fish, but He offered these pagans a chance to see the power and mercy of a loving God.

For us today, there’s encouragement here on multiple levels. First, we can trust that God does work in the midst of storms. Whether it's our own mistakes or the brokenness of the world around us, God is not limited by our failures. Second, we’re reminded that God is reaching people in the most unexpected places in the most unexpected ways, on ships, in storms, and through a reluctant and disobedient prophet.

These verses challenge us to evaluate our response to God’s power and His mercy. The sailors feared, then worshiped. They saw God's hand, power, and His mercy, they surrendered. Are we moved by God’s power, His mercy? Have we grown dull to His voice? Sometimes it's the storms that strip away all our false hopes and bring us face-to-face with the real and living God. May our response be one similar to these seafaring men who started their journey as pagan men and ended as men of faith, fearfully worshiping the Almighty God. He alone has the power to accomplish anything. He can even change a wretched soul like mine.