Calming The Inner Storm

Psalm 107:23-32

23Some went off in ships,

plying the trade routes of the world.

24They, too, observed the LORD’s power in action,

his impressive works on the deepest seas.

25He spoke, and the winds rose,

stirring up the waves.

26Their ships were tossed to the heavens

and sank again to the depths;

the sailors cringed in terror.

27They reeled and staggered like drunkards

and were at their wits’ end.

28“LORD, help!” they cried in their trouble,

and he saved them from their distress.

29He calmed the storm to a whisper

and stilled the waves.

30What a blessing was that stillness

as he brought them safely into harbor!

31Let them praise the LORD for his great love

and for all his wonderful deeds to them.

32Let them exalt him publicly before the congregation

and before the leaders of the nation.

In a storm like the one described in Psalm 107, John Newton experienced God’s amazing grace. He was so notorious for his swearing, his atheism, and his promiscuity that he shamed even his fellow sailors.

But in early March, 1748, a violent storm arose. Water poured into Newton’s cabin, and he heard a cry, “The ship is sinking!” Newton rushed on deck, and there he saw the sails in shreds and the upper timbers of the ship shattered. Drenched by icy waves, he struggled for hours to keep the ship afloat. His teeth were chattering, and his strength was gone.

In such straits he wanted to pray, but he didn’t think God, if he existed, would hear him. His mind ran through Scriptures he had learned as a child, but they all spoke of judgment for someone like himself. When the storm subsided, Newton began reading the New Testament. Although bleary eyed, he kept reading, and one message struck home: “The Prodigal Son was myself.”

He called on the Lord, who showed him amazing grace. Newton later wrote a famous hymn by the same name. In many ways God calmed the storms in Newton’s life, making them die down to a whisper.

Sometimes we forget that God wants to show us not only his amazing grace but also his ability to calm the storms in our life. What storms are you facing in your life today? Call out to God to help you through them.

Thy way is on the deep, O Lord!

Even there we’ll go with Thee;

We’ll meet the tempest at Thy word

And walk upon the sea.

MARTINEAU’S COLLECTION

Bible Networking

Compare this psalm with Jonah 1–2; Mark 4:35-41; and Acts 27.

Notable Quotable

“Prayer is good in a storm. We may pray staggering and reeling, and pray when we are at our wit’s end. God will hear us amid the thunder and answer us out of the storm. . . . And when God makes peace, it is peace indeed, the peace of God that passes all understanding.”

CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON