[9] "Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement. So Paul warned them, [10] “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.” [11] But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. [12] Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest.
[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.
[21] After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. [22] But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. [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.”
[27] On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land.
[36] They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves. [37] Altogether there were 276 of us on board.
[39] When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. [41] But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf. [42] The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. [43] But the centurion wanted to spare Paul's life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. [44] The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely."
So a couple of comments and observations:
1) The Lord clearly warned Paul, and through him, the people in charge of the dangers before them. The Lord will guide us and warn us of impending danger.
2) The storm was not punishment from God for disobedience, but rather the natural consequence of a bad decision. God actually had mercy on them, in spite of the consequences of their decision, He saved them all. One could successfully argue that by the definition of sin (missing God's perfect plan) that this bad decision was sinful, yet the resulting storm was not punishment for that sin. God's response to their "sin" was mercy, not judgment.
3) So often we are quick to think that when bad things happen to people they are in some way responsible. There were 276 people on this ship and only 3 people made the bad decision (the Centurion, Pilot and ship owner), yet all suffered the consequences. Sometimes in our lives, when bad things happen, it is the result of bad decisions (sin) someone else has made, and they effect us. I can think of tons of examples, e.g. the economy, bad laws, wars, etc. They can be decisions on a large scale, made at the highest levels, or just personal decisions, but they can affect those of us who are innocent of any responsibility.
4) The Lord will speak to us in the midst of difficult situations and give us guidance that will save us and preserve us. Sometimes the message is to hang in there and wait on the Lord. We don't know how long it was between the angel visiting Paul and the final shipwreck, but it was likely a few days before they saw land. Regardless, the Word of the Lord proved true. We need to learn to listen to the Lord, in spite of the circumstances around us.
5) The purpose of the Lord will come to pass, regardless of the circumstances and/or bad decisions we or someone else has made. This is REALLY important for us to grasp, for the enemy would try to convince us that we have missed the purposes of God, or can't possibly fulfill God's perfect plan anymore because of the bad decisions we have made, or the terrible place we find ourselves, yet this is just not true! God is able to fulfill His promise and purposes.
6) The result of the trip was almost exactly what Paul had warned them about back in verse 10. The difference is that there was no loss of life, and that was a result of Paul's presence, prayer, warnings and encouragement. The Lord cared for each of the 276 people, and by heeding the warnings and guidance of Paul, all lives were saved. At any point they could have continued to make bad choices and that would have resulted in lives being lost. When we find ourselves in a bad place (especially from our own bad decisions), we need to pay special attention to the Lord, stop making bad decisions, and trust in Him for He will guide us out with a minimum of damage.
7) They were in sight of land, and had somehow managed to survive days without food, huge waves, lashing winds, and yet at the very last moment the ship got stuck, and destroyed. The most critical time to hold onto the promise and trust in the Lord is when everything looks like it is being destroyed. It often immediately precedes God's deliverance! God is able to save us, no matter how bad it gets.
So today, I am encouraged in the Lord's ability to save! He cares for each of us and is able to reach into whatever storm we find ourselves in and preserve us and save us. Let us hold fast to Him and trust Him!
Amen!
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