STORMY SEAS
Acts 27:13-44
The bible is full of exciting stories. Some of them involve tumultuous weather on the open seas. We have the story of the violent storm that threatened the lives of the Apostles while Jesus was asleep. They woke him and Jesus quieted the storm.
There's the story of when Jesus approached his disciples walking on the water. They were unsure whether it was really Jesus so Peter asked for a confirmation, 'if it's really you, have me come to you on the water'. Jesus told him to come. Peter got out of the boat and walked on water until he took his focus off of Jesus, becoming overwhelmed by the wind and waves. He started to sink but Jesus rescued him.
In Acts 23, we read about Paul getting arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin. During the inquiry a dispute arose between the Sadducees and the Pharisees. Vs. 10 states it became violent to where the guard thought Paul was going to be torn to pieces. He got Paul out of there and brought him to the barracks. The next night Jesus came to Paul and told him, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” This would be important for Paul to hold onto in the coming days.
The next morning, the Jews conspired to kill Paul but God intervened. Chapters 24&25 describe Paul's trials before Felix and Festus and then having an audience with King Agrippa. In Chapter 26, Paul recounts his conversion testimony for King Agrippa before boarding a ship headed for Rome.
Chapter 27 provides a detailed account of the journey. It describes how the wind became treacherous and they were taken off course. A lot of time had been lost and it became more dangerous to sail because it was now past the safe sailing season. Paul tried to warn them what would happen if they continued but the pilot and the owner of the ship didn't listen. They were hoping to make it to Crete and winter there. But their smooth sailing became incredibly rough.
1) The 'Northeaster' (13-20).
Wow, what a scene! The details and descriptive nature of these verses sound like they're from a movie script. Speaking of movies: 'Perfect Storm'. Andrea Gail was a commercial fishing vessel that was lost at sea with all six crew members during what was known as the Perfect Storm in 1991. This account was the basis for the 1997 book The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger and the film of the same name in 2000.
The Perfect Storm lasted from Oct. 28-Nov. 2, 1991. Bob Case, a retired meteorologist, named it the perfect storm because the set of meteorological circumstances leading to the storm only happen every 50-100 years; which led to it being called the storm of the century. Several weather events (both a low and high pressure system and a hurricane) came together to create the massive storm, which produced 75 mph winds and 100-foot waves.
Movies like The Perfect Storm helps to provide a visual for what Paul and the guys were dealing with. When your situation is so dire that you're throwing the cargo and tackle overboard; it's not good. When you have to use ropes to hold the ship together the odds are not in your favor that you're going to make it through this voyage alive. Words like panic, fear, dread, hopelessness come to mind.
After dealing with this violent, raging storm for many days, Luke, the writer of Acts, who was on the ship, felt there was no light at the end of the tunnel. Vs. 20-we gave up all hope of being saved. Have you ever been in a position of despair where you truly felt like there was no hope of anything getting better? Then someone came along and encouraged you to keep going and not give up?
2) "Keep up your courage" (21-26).
It's kind of comical that Paul starts this encouraging address by telling them, "I told you this was going to happen. But did you listen? Noooo!" Was Paul doing this to rub it in? No, it was to set the stage for what he was about to say regarding God's voice.
Paul wanted them to know that when he warned them earlier it wasn't coming from him; he wasn't just being worrisome or trying to trick them to be able to escape; his words were from God. It's like he was saying, 'ok, you didn't listen to me before and we see how that's working out. Now let's see if you'll listen."
Paul was about to tell them he received a message from an angel of God. If Paul didn't remind them of what he told them before, they probably would've dismissed what he was saying now. But Paul's reminder showed them he was worth listening to. When we don't listen to God and go our own way, things won't get any better for us. So the next time God tries to get our attention, he may remind us about the last time he tried to get through to us and we didn't listen to see if we're ready to listen now.
Paul told them two times to keep their courage up and to not be afraid. This is what we need to hear when we face scary situations. God might not give us a prophetic statement like he did for Paul, but he will remind us that we have no reason to fear because he has taken care of us to this point, and he will continue to do so the rest of the way.
But vs. 26 is interesting. 'Nevertheless'. Paul encourages them and assures them their lives will be spared but then he lets them know that they will still run aground. It's like he's saying, "Just because we're all going to make it doesn't mean in five minutes the sun's going to come out and we'll have smooth sailing the rest of the way. Just the opposite."
We need to keep that in mind too. Our hope is in God and he will provide and take care of us through the storm but that doesn't mean he will make it easy. Sometimes he may quiet the storm like he did for the disciples. But there will be other times where instead of the storm quieting down it may get more intense before it gets better. But God encourages us by saying, "I got this. Stay with me and we'll make it through together". Keep up your courage; God's got this.
3) "We're all in this together" (27-32).
Two weeks they've been dealing with this storm! Sometimes the storms we go through last a short time; some last much longer. Dealing with this storm for two weeks would take quite a toll on you. After 14 straight days you'd be mentally weak, psychologically frustrated and emotionally fragile.
When the men saw that the water was getting more shallow, they knew they were closing in on reaching shore. But without being able to see and navigate well, they were concerned about crashing into the rocks. So, in order to save themselves, they deceptively started to lower the lifeboat. Somehow Paul knew of their plan and reported to the Centurion and the soldiers that it would not be good for anyone if they left.
When a group faces a perilous situation, there may be some who are just looking out for themselves. People who do this put the whole group at risk. United we stand; divided we fall. This calls for loving your neighbor as yourself. This calls for caring about someone else's well-being as much as, if not more than, your own.
Phil. 2:3-4, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." This is how we succeed as a church. When we are unified in love and purpose we will thrive. Persevering isn't just a singular victory; it's a collective one.
4) "Eat something" (33-38).
Paul encourages them to eat. They needed to keep up their strength. Sometimes when we're going through a storm we might neglect the importance of maintaining our well being. We get distracted by the emergency and fail to get proper rest and nutrition. We can easily neglect our spiritual well being also. I've seen it happen where someone is going through a storm and the things that gets pushed to the side are church attendance, bible study, prayer, fellowship, etc. That's crazy!
The men on the ship hadn't eaten in two weeks. Lots of things happen when we go without eating for a period of time. We become weak and irritable. Paul recognized that and knew it wasn't good. Paul urged them to take some food. He said, 'you need it to survive'. If we neglect our spiritual food we will suffer for it. We need it to survive.
Vs. 35-'gave thanks to God in front of them all'. I wonder how strange it was to these guys to hear Paul give thanks at a time like this? Here he was, a prisoner, going through this terrible storm and yet he tells them how grateful he is? What about us? When we're going through our storms are we taking time out to give thanks? Are we purposely doing it in front of others? Do you think it makes an impact when people see us praise God in the storm? Vs. 36-'they were all encouraged'. Paul's prayer of thanksgiving in the midst of the storm made an impact on these men. When we're able to thank God despite our hardships it registers with people.
5) Safe at last (39-44).
Here's the victorious conclusion. The ship didn't make it; but the 276 people on board did. It happened just as God said it would; not a single hair from their heads was lost. Were they injured? I'm sure there were plenty of bumps and bruises to go around. Were they exhausted? Absolutely. But they were alive. The odds were not in their favor to survive. But God was with Paul and since the men listened this time, coupled with some perfectly timed intervention, they beat the odds and everyone made it to shore safely.
People have faced accidents, diseases and other life threatening situations where they thought their lives were over. Then something happened. God came through in a miraculous way to rescue them. A distress signal finally went through, a Good Samaritan showed up just in time, etc. I'm sure these guys were never so happy to see land. We need to rejoice when God gets us through the storm and brings us safely to shore. It's a reminder for us and it's a testimony to others.
Vs. 39-'when daylight came'. It had been dark for two weeks! How relieved they must've been to see daylight and land again. Maybe you've been going through a dark time for a while. Maybe you're wondering if daylight will ever come. Someday the storm will end. Someday the light will shine. And when it does, don't forget to rejoice and thank God; not just in the moment, but every time he reminds you afterward.
6) Cut it loose! (18-19, 32, 38, 40).
When we're in a storm it's about survival. In a storm, God will show us what's most important. He may tell us we need to cut some things loose in order to preserve what's most important. Sometimes it takes a storm to show us what matters most. The things on that ship were good things, necessary things-equipment, anchors, lifeboats, food. But those things were weighing them down; they had to lighten the ship to keep it afloat.
Heb. 12:1 says to: throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." The storms we face may not be life-threatening but they will be challenging and eye-opening. And perhaps some of the things we're holding onto will become less of a priority; not quite as necessary as we thought. Is there anything in our lives that is hindering us; slowing us down? What might we need to cut loose in order to stay afloat? We need to sail with perseverance the course marked out for us so we can make it safely to our destination.
Paul did make it to Rome, just as Jesus said. And even though he was a prisoner, Paul was preaching the word. Acts 28:24 says that some were convinced by what he said but others would not believe. It's no different today. We need to realize that when we're sharing our faith. Not even the great Paul convinced everyone to convert. That helps to not get discouraged and give up.
The book of Acts ends with 28:30-31, "For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ."
Stormy seas and being a prisoner did not keep Paul from fulfilling his mission. Therefore, regardless of our situation, let us boldly and without hindrance proclaim what God has done in our lives and share the truth about salvation in Christ. We're trying to convince people that as we navigate through the stormy seas of life, you'll need to have Jesus in your boat.
