3 Truths to Carry You Through Every Storm in 2025

Of all the events chronicled in the book of Acts, the storm and shipwreck in Acts 27 is probably the most dramatic. Dr. Luke is led by the Holy Spirit to write this first-hand account as one of the companions of the apostle Paul on board the ship. I believe the Spirit wanted this historical event recorded so as to strengthen all believers in the midst of their storms in life.

My wife, Elizabeth, and I have faced so many storms as we look back on decades of ministry and life together. Some storms were so tough we wondered whether we would make it. You may be facing a storm in life right now. Maybe you are wondering if you’ll make it through this time. If that’s you or someone you know, I pray you’ll dig into this moment in history preserved for us in the Bible. I believe there are some eternal Truths that the Holy Spirit would encourage you with today to strengthen you in the thick of the storm.

#1 The storms of life do not endanger the child of God.

Like Jonah, if your storm is caused by your own stubbornness or disobedience, God will wait for you to repent. He’ll wait for you to choose the road to obedience while the storm is raging. That’s because God is protecting your soul with that very storm to lead you to repentance.

However, sometimes there are storms in our lives because we are living in obedience to the will of God. Don’t allow these storms to shake your confidence in the Lord. Don’t let them terrify you or lead you to doubt God’s loving, sovereign hand. Don’t let them discourage you because, just as Jesus sat in the middle of the boat with the disciples in the middle of the storm on the Sea of Galilee, He is in the middle of your boat on the ocean of life (see Mark 4:35-41). It is during these unwanted and uninvited storms that God wants you to look up to the one who controls the storm. Jesus is training you to trust Him. He’s letting you work out your faith muscles. You may feel sore, but you’re going to be stronger.

After much time and slow progress on the way to Rome where Paul would face trial, the ship was harbored at a place called Fair Havens (see Acts 27:8-9). The crew must have been desperate to move on with not even a town at the harbor, which is likely why Luke mentions a nearby town instead (see v. 8). Even Paul knew that moving on would be disastrous at this point in the year (see v. 9), and yet the majority chose the reckless sail.

I believe the choice of the men on the ship to disregard Paul’s warning serves as a caution to us. Be careful when you become bored—bored with your marriage, job, church, family, the Word of God—because as soon as you move on, there will be a storm. I’ve heard hundreds of people say, “I want out of where I am because I want to be happy.” I guarantee you they never found happiness by abandoning those things—just pain and suffering, and not just for themselves.

When the crew saw their chance, they weighed anchor and tried to sail along the shore of Crete. But soon thereafter they entered a harrowing, life-threatening storm (see vv. 13-14). Paul didn’t cause the storm, but he was strengthened through it and protected in it. He did not lose heart or become discouraged. Why? Because he trusted God, and God even encouraged him in the very midst of it.

God is sovereign over our every breath. He numbers the hairs on our head. We can have hope and faith like Paul’s because God’s unfathomable love has been displayed in Christ. The storms of life cannot endanger the child of God, who is held in the palm of His hand (see John 10:28-29).

#2 The storms of life do not eclipse the face of God.

The storms in our lives do not make us, shape us, or mold us, contrary to what some people think. They merely reveal what we’re made of.

In Acts 27, different people reacted differently to the storm. Some drifted (see v. 15). When facing the storms in life, some drift because they do not have the inner strength that comes from the daily filling of the Holy Spirit. They are not anchored in the Rock of Ages; their lives are not hidden in God, their fortress. Others responded with their own efforts to save themselves (see vv. 16-19). Now, I don’t blame them; I admire people who at least do something. But gritting your teeth and pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps can often do more harm than good. Then some tried to flee the storm (see v. 30). In life, this could look like drowning your sorrows in alcohol or drugs or moving from one relationship to the next—thinking only of yourself.

All the poor souls on this ship had lost their bearings except Paul, Luke, and Aristarchus. They could maintain their courage and resolve because they knew the anchor that holds (see Hebrews 6:19). The others had refused to believe the simple word from God through the servant of God, Paul. So he and his companions were confident while the others were running like cowards, working futilely, and drifting in despair. Paul knew that God would never leave nor forsake him (see Deuteronomy 31:6, c.f. Hebrews 13:5); Paul knew that God can do all things (see Job 42:2). God’s face could never be eclipsed in the midst of the storm because Paul knew His God was able to do exceedingly, abundantly more than all they could ask or imagine (see Ephesians 3:20).

In his Bible commentary, Joseph Parker notes, “Paul began as a prisoner; he ended as the captain. He went upon the ship quite humbly; now he stands up, as it were, four-square, and all the men are at his feet.” An angel of the Lord had come to him and assured him of God’s presence and plan for his life. Paul would make it to Rome, and God would spare all aboard the ship: “So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me” (Acts 27:25).

#3 The storms of life do not weaken the will of God.

God “works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will” (Ephesians 1:11). Most people don’t like this verse. They’d prefer something along the lines of “God accomplishes all things according to the counsel of my will.” But that’s not what God’s Word says. God’s purposes will always be fulfilled regardless of our willingness to follow His will. He will accomplish His will with or without you. Nothing can thwart His purposes (see Psalm 33:11; Job 42:2; 2 Chronicles 20:6).

God had revealed His vision for Paul’s life as a path to Rome to stand before Caesar, so Paul was confident that his time was not yet up (see Acts 27:23-24). The storms of life cannot frustrate God’s plan but will serve His purposes.

Hope for Every Darkness

God does not fret over our stubbornness. Neither does He wring His hands over the trials and challenges that test our faith. In the midst of the storms of life, He reveals His all-sufficient grace. So turn to the Lord—whatever you are facing, whatever your pains or sufferings may be—and rejoice. For “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6-7).