As I was preparing for this weeks devotion for Wednesday, I felt prompted to share about the Apostle Paul’s shipwreck recorded in Acts 27. Last week I spoke about another storm and immediately thought of this storm. Why in the world am I on the “storm” theme? My inquiring mind wants to know. I’ll share the conclusion at the end of this post.
As I was researching on this particular account in Acts 27, I came across an interesting article with 5 things we can learn from Paul’s experience. You can find the article here. https://share.google/dXAPC835qW5JRCmfT. This had great insight and it applies to us today.
Paul, a prisoner because of the Gospel, on board a ship, under the guard of a Roman Centurion. Paul was on his way to Rome to stand trial before Caesar. The Centurion was kind to Paul on the journey. There were also 276 others on board. The journey consisted of several stops at different ports along the way.
Acts 27:10-11 says, ““Men,” he said, “I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on—shipwreck, loss of cargo, and danger to our lives as well.” But the officer in charge of the prisoners listened more to the ship’s captain and the owner than to Paul.” (NLT) Not too long after Paul said this a HUGE storm came up and the ship was battered. The crew wrapped ropes around the hull of the ship to strength it. Cargo and ship gear were thrown overboard, and the storm raged on. Check out Acts 27:21-26. “No one had eaten for a long time. Finally, Paul called the crew together and said, “Men, you should have listened to me in the first place and not left Crete. You would have avoided all this damage and loss. But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down. For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’ So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said. But we will be shipwrecked on an island.””Acts 27:21-26 (NLT) The ship did go down. Some jumped over board and swam for shore. Others clung to pieces of the shipwreck and floated in. Either way, they all reached shore without a single person dying.
If you look at the link I shared a few paragraphs up you will see the article with the 5 things we can learn from this shipwreck. I’m going to put it in my own words. Number 1: Paul “saw” trouble coming before it even happened. Born again believes have the Holy Spirit to direct us and show us things others might not see. Another important point to note, Paul was not a sailor. He was a teacher of the law, writer and Bible scholar, however he was NOT a sailor. Yet he boldly spoke to the ships captain and Centurion, (although this didn’t listen to him. ). God loves to use people who are dependent on Him, rather than their own knowledge and talents. The third point the article made is: Who are you listening to? Whoa! That is so true! One of the most costly mistakes we can make is to listen to the wrong source of information. If the Captain and Centurion had listened to Paul the ship would have not gone down and the cargo would have been spared. In present times, think about the misinformation we are fed daily on the news and by the press. (Depending on which news source you listen to.) Yep! It’s costly to listen to the wrong source! The Word of God needs to be the deciding factor in our life, not what people say.
Another point the article mentioned is that discouragement is a choice. If anyone onboard that ship had a right to be discouraged, it was Paul, but he chose to encourage the others. They has not eaten in days, had not seen the sun or stars and yet the storm raged on. The people onboard lost hope of being saved yet Paul encouraged them to eat to regain strength. Storms do come up in life and we get battered sometimes, however we must keep the faith and trust God. We are going to make it to our “destination”. We might be “holding on to pieces of shipwreck” but we’re going to make it. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (NLT) God did cause everything to workout for the good after Paul’s shipwreck. Paul and all 276 people made it safely to shore and God used Paul in miraculous ways to heal those on the island. The last point the article made was: Every time you call (pray) God is near to you. Paul called on the Living God and the fear was replaced by faith. When we pray, God hears and He answers.
After I prepared my notes to teach from tomorrow I still wondered why do I feel so strongly the need to share this? The answer settled in my spirit….. We are on a journey in life. Our destination is Heaven. (If you know Jesus and have surrendered to Him) We are “battered” by the storms of life. It can be so many things: losing a loved one, have a health crisis, being taken advantage of or someone taking things from you they have no right to take. It could be a divorce, loss of a job or your home. The list is endless and as unique as each individual. YET and I emphasize that for a reason! YET we can “wrap” our situations in prayer for strength just like the crew wrapped the hull of the ship with ropes. Wrap your situation in prayer and keep your faith. Don’t fall into dispair but hold on just a little longer. You’re going to make it to your destination even if you’re clinging to something for support. You WILL make it with God’s help!! Do not give up!!! Years ago one of my Pastors preached on a topic I can’t quite remember but I remember the visual he used. It was a stretch of a person with a towel wiping sweat from their face. If I remember correctly, his illustration was someone “throwing in the towel” (like… I’ve had enough of this!) and God throws the towel back and says, “Wipe your face! It’s almost over!” That’s us folks! The storm batters us and we’ve had enough and God says “Hold on! It’s almost over! Keep your eyes on ME! I’ve got you!’
Okay, I’ve done what I’ve been prompted to share here and I’ll share it tomorrow as well. These lessons are for me as well. Funny how God will impress it deeply upon me so I can share with a bold conviction. God is all we need!! Keep the faith!!! Have a great rest of the week and pray for our world! It is a mess right now but God is working! He’s always working! Much love and prayers!
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