Always Choices in the Strom

Acts 27:27-39

On August 3, 1970 Hurricane Celia hit the Corpus Christi area, and it seemed like an eternity but it was less than one day when people began to dig out of what was left of their homes.  Jan and I returned from my sisters place 60 miles away to find our home and possessions were gone or destroyed.  But we were not on a ship in the Adriatic Sea, and we had food and water and it had not been 14 days of being driven by the will of the storm, but that is where we find Paul in this account from doctor Luke.  Now it is night and the sailors suspect that they are near land, so they begin to take sounding and found they were at twenty fathoms and in just a short time found they were at 15 fathoms.  So they began to let down four anchors from the stern.

It came to my thoughts that you and others may not care about Paul’s storm, in that you are in your on storm, life has not gone well, and it’s hard to think about anything or anyone else at this time.  All you want is a safe place, if that is you then you will identify with the sailors who are lowering the boat under the pretense of laying out anchors from the bow, but their intent was to escape the storm.  In the middle of a storm faith often takes a backseat to fear, some of the sailors may have believed Paul when he told them the ship would be lost but all of them would be saved, but common sense said take the boat, save yourselves.

Often fear will drive us, and when fear takes over self is in charge of will, with little regard for others; so Paul tells the centurion what the sailors are up to and that for them to be safe they must return to the ship.  Look at doctor Luke’s account of what happen next: “As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing. Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength, for not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you.” And when he had said these things, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat. Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves. (We were in all 276 persons in the ship.) And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea.”  (Acts 27:33-38 ESV)

Wheat was used to help lower the ship in the water and once at port could be sold, but just before making a run for the beach they threw out the wheat, cut the anchors and hoisting the foresail to the wind, and headed for the beach.  At this point hope is at a new high, and those 276 people are beginning to believe what Paul has said.  This can be the most dangerous time, for some are now putting faith in what they can see and often, most often it is not the seen but the unseen that is going to rock our lives.  In their case it was a reef and the bow stuck and the surf was breaking up the stern, and the Roman soldiers become the real danger.  If the prisoners escape they will suffer the punishment of the prisoners, and so the logical thing is to kill all the prisoners.  But remember God has promised Paul that he will stand in Rome before Caesar, so God put a soft spot in the heart of the centurion for Paul, he kept them from carrying out their plan.  This was the centurion’s plan and it was acted on: “But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land.” (Acts 27:43-44 ESV)

What can we learn from this: 1) storms last longer than we expect, and most of the time they come as a surprise.  2) That many will grow weak and lose all hope, look only to God. 3) When it looks as if your storm is over, watch out the enemy may have a reef and a Roman soldier that has another plan, but do not lose sight of what God has promised, for He is faithful and He will deliver you.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice