Shipwrecked
Acts 27:25,26 So men, there is nothing to worry about. I trust God, and I am sure everything will happen just as his angel told me. But we will crash on an island.
There can be nothing more frightening than being on a small ship on a stormy ocean, with the prospect of sinking. And frankly, sometimes, that’s exactly how our lives appear.
The Apostle Paul is an amazing guy. After persecuting Christians mercilessly, then meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus, he does a complete turnaround and spends the rest of his life travelling throughout the known world, telling people about this Jesus.
Now, this is not an easy thing to do. There are riots, persecution, beatings, floggings, plots to kill him and then, the Jewish leaders have him arrested and try to have him executed.
Paul, being a Roman citizen, appeals to the Emperor, and finds himself on a boat heading west to Rome. But winter’s setting in and against his advice, the captain of the boat sets sail. They hit weeks of storms and eventually all looks lost.
So Paul does what Paul knew to do. He prayed, and God told him what was going to happen:
Acts 27:25,26 So men, there is nothing to worry about. I trust God, and I am sure everything will happen just as his angel told me. But we will crash on an island.
And that’s exactly what did happen. The ship went under. And, just as God had revealed to Paul during that time of prayer, there was nothing to worry about. Every man aboard was saved.
Think about this, God is sending Paul to Rome as a prisoner, to proclaim the Gospel. God has a plan, which for Paul means imprisonment, adversity and eventually death.
And along the way, this … this shipwreck.
Whatever you might be going through, however stormy your ocean may be, remember this: sometimes, shipwrecks are part of God’s plan.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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