Acts Chapter 27
Now that the pandemic restrictions all around the world have loosened up, many people have started to take advantage of this to start travelling all over the world again.
This chapter starts off with Paul now being set up for the voyage to Rome finally. Some of the places mentioned sound like cruise destinations but Paul’s journey was anything but that. Indeed when reading through it all, it was like watching movies like “The Perfect Storm”, “Titanic”, “Poseidon Adventure” all rolled into one.
What stood out for me was this verse:
“Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up.”
~ Acts 27:20 ~
After ignoring the advice of Paul, they were caught up in a terrible storm that even the best sailors had trouble handling. The storm was so bad that any navigational instruments to sight the stars to calculate their positions were useless.
They did not know where they were. They did not know where the nearest land was. They did not know know what direction to take.
In the Bible we often read of how storms were used to compare the difficulties in the lives faced by people of God.
Today it is the same. We use terms like “financial storm”, “stormy relationship”, “sinking business” to illustrate the difficulties. Life may be smooth sailing and then suddenly it erupts when the waves around begin to increase in intensity and before you know it, we feel that “all hope that we would be saved was finally given up”.
Yet, it was at this point of time Paul said “… take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me.” (Acts 27:22-25)
God told all in the ship through Paul that they would be saved. Despite the current circumstances, God has a plan for Paul and use of him. That would be why everyone would survive.
Such a word of encouragement from God!
We may be facing storms in our lives today. And we cannot even see the stars in the sky to guide our way and we feel lost.
But let us remember we have a God who we can anchor our soul on. And if we trust in Him, He will open a way for us.
We have an Anchor!
