This 5-day devotional draws directly from Josh Howerton's sermon “Showcase - How to Trust God When Everything Goes Wrong | Pastor Jonathan Pokluda | Full Worship Experience” so you can keep engaging with the message all week. Read, reflect, and share it with your small group or friends.
When You Can't Control the Storm
Monday — Understanding the Truth
Have you ever been on a flight where the turbulence hit so hard you genuinely wondered if this was it? That helpless feeling — that's not just about airplanes.
Today's Scripture "Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar, and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you." — Acts 27:24
Reflection Here's something worth sitting with today: you are not in control. And that's actually okay.
The Apostle Paul found himself on a ship in the middle of a hurricane — a prisoner, no less — surrounded by 275 terrified people. He couldn't control the weather, the sailors, or the soldiers. But he could do something they couldn't: he could trust the One who controls all of it.
That's the central truth of Acts 27. Paul stayed calm — not because the storm wasn't real, but because he knew who held the outcome. He didn't have a better weather forecast. He had a better anchor.
Whatever storm you're navigating right now — a strained marriage, a prodigal child, a health scare, a job that ended, a loneliness that won't quit — the invitation is the same one Paul lived out. You don't have to control the outcome. You have to trust the One who does.
Confidence in God produces calm in the chaos. Not fake calm. Not pretending everything is fine. But a deep, settled assurance that the storm does not have the final word.
Today's Step Name your storm honestly today. Then ask yourself: Do I actually believe God is in control of this?
A Closing Thought You don't have to have it all together — you just have to know who does.
The Storm Is Not Wasted
Tuesday — When It's Hard
It's one thing to believe God is in control when life is smooth. It's another thing entirely when the waves won't stop.
Today's Scripture "When neither the sun nor the stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved." — Acts 27:20
Reflection Fourteen days. That's how long Paul and the 275 people on that ship were battered by a hurricane with no visibility, no stars to navigate by, no sense of where they were headed. They threw the cargo overboard. Then they threw the steering equipment overboard. Then they gave up hope entirely.
Maybe you know that feeling. Not the dramatic movie version of crisis, but the grinding, exhausting kind — where you've been in it long enough that hope starts to feel naive. Where you've prayed the same prayer so many times it feels hollow. Where you're not sure if you're still trusting God or just going through the motions.
Here's what's worth noticing: Luke doesn't skip over those fourteen days. He describes them in painful detail. The Bible doesn't rush past your suffering, and neither does God.
The hard truth is that faith isn't really visible when everything is comfortable. It shows up — or doesn't — in the storm. And that means the storm, as brutal as it is, is also your greatest opportunity to discover what you actually believe.
You don't have to manufacture peace right now. You just have to be honest about where you are.
Today's Step Talk to God about the storm as it actually is — not the polished version. He can handle your honesty.
A Closing Thought God isn't surprised by your fourteen-day storms. He was there on day one, and he's still there now.
Don't Skip the Basics
Wednesday — Putting It Into Practice
When everything feels out of control, what's the first thing you tend to cut from your day?
Today's Scripture "Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head." — Acts 27:34
Reflection In the middle of a two-week hurricane, Paul stopped and told everyone to eat. It sounds almost absurd. The ship is falling apart, people are terrified, and Paul's advice is: have something to eat.
But he was right. They had been so consumed by the crisis that they'd neglected the basics — and neglecting the basics was making everything worse.
The same thing happens to us. When life gets turbulent, the first things we drop are usually the ones we can least afford to lose: prayer, scripture, community, stillness. We tell ourselves we don't have time. But Paul's logic flips that: you can't afford not to.
The decisions you make in the storm shape who you are when the storm passes. If you let anxiety crowd out everything that feeds your soul, you'll arrive on the other side depleted and disoriented. If you keep the daily rhythms — even imperfectly — you'll find something solid to stand on.
This doesn't have to be complicated. It's daily bread. A few minutes in scripture before the day starts. A short, honest prayer on your commute. A text to a friend who will actually pray with you.
These aren't extras. In the storm, they're survival.
Today's Step Pick one small spiritual habit to protect this week — and actually put it in your schedule.
A Closing Thought God is working in your storm, but he also invites you to show up. Do your part, and trust him for the rest.
Faith That Others Can See
Thursday — What This Looks Like in Real Life
What does it look like when someone actually lives out what they say they believe? It tends to stop you in your tracks.
Today's Scripture "So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me." — Acts 27:25
Reflection Imagine a man sitting calmly in the middle of a crowded, panicked ship — in chains, no less — and telling everyone around him that it's going to be okay. Not because he's in denial. Not because he has a plan. But because he knows who does.
That's Paul. And the people on that ship took notice.
Think about someone you know who has walked through something genuinely hard — a diagnosis, a loss, a season that should have broken them — and somehow came through it with their faith not just intact but deeper. There's something undeniable about that. It raises questions. It makes you want what they have.
That's what faith looks like in real life. It's not a polished testimony delivered from a safe distance. It's the woman who keeps showing up to care for her aging parent without bitterness. It's the man who loses his job and doesn't lose his character. It's the couple who weathers a brutal season in their marriage and comes out the other side saying, God was faithful.
People are watching. Not to judge you, but because they're looking for proof that faith is real. Your storm might be the most powerful witness you'll ever have.
Today's Step Think of someone in your life who modeled calm faith in a hard season. What did that do for your own faith?
A Closing Thought You may never know who is watching you navigate your storm — and finding hope because of it.
Consider the Experience of the Pilot
Friday — Carrying It Forward
Before a flight, most of us never think about how many thousands of hours the pilot has logged. We just get on the plane and hope for the best.
Today's Scripture "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." — Romans 8:38–39
Reflection This week, we've sat with a storm. We've named the fear of being out of control. We've been honest about how hard it is to hold onto faith when you can't see the stars. We've talked about showing up to the basics even when everything feels like too much. And we've seen what it looks like when someone actually lives this out.
Now, as you head into the weekend, here's one final thought to carry with you: consider the experience of the pilot.
The God you're trusting has parted seas and shut the mouths of lions. He has fed thousands with almost nothing and brought men through fire without a single burn. He has healed the sick, restored the broken, and — most importantly — walked out of a tomb three days after death.
If he has defeated death, there is nothing in your storm that is beyond him.
You're not asking a stranger to help you. You're trusting the most experienced, most faithful, most undefeated pilot in the universe. He has never lost a passenger.
Whatever you're walking into this weekend — carry that with you.
Today's Step Write down one thing God has already brought you through. Let that be your anchor for what's ahead.
A Closing Thought The storm doesn't define your story. The One who walks with you through it does.