Rerouted: 30 Days Through the Book of JonahSample

Our Helper in Chaos and Calm

Erica Wiggenhorn

Psalm 107:28

A year after I married my husband, family friends gifted us with a trip to Lake Tahoe. At the mountain’s peak, we marveled at God’s creation — the sparkling lake, glistening snow and sunlit views.

But suddenly a storm rolled in. The sky darkened, wind whipped, and snow fell heavily. My husband grasped my hand tightly. “I won’t let go,” he shouted. “I’ve got you.”

How often can life feel like that? Calm moments are interrupted by unexpected storms. Yet God’s promises anchor us with hope. In Psalm 107:25-29, God “raised the stormy wind” and then “made the storm be still.” Similarly, He “hurled a great wind upon the sea” in Jonah 1:4 and calmed it in Jonah 1:15. Both storms reveal how God's people depend on Him. Because of His faithfulness, He responds when we cry out (Psalm 107:28; Jonah 2:1). God’s hand of deliverance is moved by His heart of love.

Psalm 107 highlights God’s deliverance in various situations:

• To those wandering in deserts, God provided safety and provision (Psalm 107:4).
• He freed prisoners from captivity (Psalm 107:10).
• He rescued and healed those suffering from their own sins (Psalm 107:17).

Those who “went down to the sea” faced a storm God Himself caused (Psalm 107:23-25), but whether troubles are self-inflicted or divinely appointed, turning to God brings rescue. Psalm 107:27 says the storm brought sailors to “their wits’ end,” meaning their wisdom failed. With no options left, they cried out to God. Then they realized no chaos is beyond His ability to calm and control. The storm that stripped them of their self-sufficiency also delivered them into the arms of the Father.

The psalmist urges us to respond to God’s rescue in our own lives with gratitude: “Thank the Lᴏʀᴅ for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works” (Psalm 107:8). We’re called to “tell of his deeds in songs of joy” (Psalm 107:22). Jonah echoed this praise even inside a fish: “With the voice of thanksgiving, I will sacrifice to you” (Jonah 2:9).

This assures us that no circumstances can ever steal God’s steadfast love or silence our prayers. God hears and delivers His people. And as He does, we get to share our stories of deliverance.