Summer At Sea: Week 12 Day 5

Acts 27:13-20

13 When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. 14 Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the Northeaster, swept down from the island. 15 The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure, 17 so the men hoisted it aboard. Then they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Because they were afraid they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along. 18 We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. 19 On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.

To say that Paul was on quite a journey would be an understatement. Falsely accused in Jerusalem, riots, uproars, governors', kings, and then a raging storm that was so severe they had to pass ropes under the ship to hold it together! Who would blame Paul if he thought, “I must have misunderstood the Holy Spirit. Obviously God did not want me to go to Rome.” However, this was not Paul’s response. I imagine that Paul kept the Lord’s words back in Acts ch. 23 deep in his heart when he was told what would be coming:

“11 The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”

Walking closely with the Lord allowed Paul to believe in the mission that he was given and to proceed despite the problems and pitfalls that he faced. 

When we truly want to be in God’s will and we have an intimate and obedient relationship with the King of Kings, God is faithful to deliver us to the mission and through the mission; He will do this despite any obstacles that seem to stand in our way. God only asks us to “take courage” (Acts 23); He is working out the rest.