Acts 27.23-26 23 Last
night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me
24 and said, ‘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.’
25 So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will
happen just as he told me. 26 Nevertheless, we must run aground on some
island.”
In the account in Acts 27, we see the will of man
pitted against nature. Sailing in ancient days was risky at best, but sailing
at the wrong time of year was catastrophic. Paul had been sent to appear before
Caesar and he was under guard because he was a prisoner of the
Roman government. So, dispatched to Rome, he was with other prisoners who were to be dealt with by Rome as well.
Sailing, although the most expedient way to transport
these men, was problematic – weather and other factors prevailed. One factor
was timing, and another was commerce – the ship’s owner(s) got paid for the use
of his boat. Commerce overruled nature...
Paul was certainly no seaman but he had sailed before and
he – untrained as he was – knew there were better times to sail during the year
than others. It’s like us, travel in winter – sometimes the roads
are not all that conducive for journeying. Paul told the centurion and the
ship’s owner that sailing so late in the year would be disastrous but he was
overruled by an impatient soldier, and the pilot of the ship.
The story goes that, “When a gentle south wind began
to blow, they saw their opportunity; so, they weighed anchor and sailed along
the shore of Crete.” (Verse 13) And not long after, the breeze turned into a
near hurricane and the ship was driven along by the storm.
I can imagine the mood. But Paul, in great wisdom, stood
and said: “For the last fourteen days you have been in constant suspense and
have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything. 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.” (Vv. 33-34) He lightened the mood. Everyone ate and was encouraged.
The point of all this is, we are, as Christ’s servants, to
look for every opportunity to lighten the mood. Not everyone believes but
everyone suffers from fear, and everyone needs to be somehow encouraged and
urged to, perhaps, see things from a different perspective. Followers of Jesus
are to take the initiative to make the best of things and set the example in
leading the way. Food and some brief fellowship certainly prepared them all for
what was coming next.
My job in this world is to avoid the negative-Nancy’s, and to look, in faith, for the God I serve to come to my aid – however and whatever that looks like. How I act, is going to go a long way to
show others how I relate to the God I say I serve. My actions truly underscore
my words.
The ship wrecked and all were saved. But, I think, all of them
viewed this Jewish preacher differently after that and I believe God used Paul
to reveal to them more about Himself, at work, in the life of His servant.
Father, may I learn
to serve like Paul. May I keep my eyes on You no matter what. And may the way I
conduct myself reveal to someone who You are – the God I serve… Amen
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