Thursday, November 13, 2025

New Testament Reading Plan: James 3

We all go through storms, some more severe than others. Quite often, it feels like the rain will never stop, even after the storm has moved on.

If you made it to an in-person service last weekend, you experienced Twisters during week two of “At the Movies.” In the film, Tyler tells Kate that a tornado’s rating isn’t based on its size or wind speed. It’s based on the damage it causes, and that can only be determined after the fact.

The same can be said of the storms we face in life. Their real power is often revealed not while we’re in them, but in what they leave behind.

Perhaps, like Kate, you’ve experienced a terrible trial or sorrow, and the memories are just too painful. It doesn’t make sense to stay in the past to weaken your present. How long are you going to allow the storm to keep taking from you?

James 1:2-4
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

Storms reveal the depth of our faith. God often uses them to fortify our trust in him, reveal his presence in our lives, and remind us just how precious we are to him.

Even in the midst of hardship, Jesus offers us the peace we need:

John 16:33
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Though you might have felt alone during the storm, it is God who carried you through, and he’s calling you to notice his goodness on the other side. When you’ve experienced God’s care and presence through a storm, one of the worst things you can do is walk out of it and refuse to see the sun breaking through the clouds.

Looking at the forecast, we will have many stormy days ahead in this life. But through it all, Jesus promises to be our umbrella, and sometimes our much-needed lifeboat.

Stay close to Jesus, let him “umbrella” you from the storms that are sure to come, and always praise him for the beautiful days that follow.

Questions:
Are you still allowing past storms to take something from you? Have you ever found growth through a storm?

Next Steps:
Draw closer to Jesus by praying about everything and thanking him for successes and lessons learned. Let storms teach you about patience.

Prayer:
Lord, I want my faith to be greater than my fear. Guide my heart closer to you to walk me through life’s storms. You are the calm that will steady my hands and ease my mind. Amen.

Series Theme Verse:

Romans 1:20
For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

This post was written by Jaron Camp, a Findlay attendee and regular contributor to the Daily LivingItOut.