ACTS 27:21-26 – “Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. But we must run aground on some island.””
THEME OF THE DAY: THE EVIDENCE OF TRUE FAITH IN THE LORD. The twenty-seventh chapter of Acts is filled with suspense and excitement. It is a sea story involving storms, shipwreck, and much fear over the power of God at sea. It also is a chapter about trust in the Lord, spiritual growth, and the sovereignty of God over the affairs of all men.
In today’s portion, the height of the adventure is reached. All hope is lost. The storm has crushed the spirits of all onboard except one, and perishing at sea seemed inevitable. In fact, the three preceding verses leading up to today’s text describe the condition of all onboard this ill-fated ship, except one . . .
“Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day to jettison the cargo. And on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.” (Acts 27:18-20.)
Did you notice that I mentioned the words “except one” twice in the last paragraph? Only one person did not give into the fear of his circumstances or was resigned to what appeared certain – drowning at sea. The “except one” was the Apostle Paul and, in the midst of such trouble, he demonstrated trust, confident trust, in the Lord. Following are three lessons we may learn from him when it comes to true faith in the living God.
First, we must have storms in life to validate our trust in the Lord, and display for others the reality of the God we trust. Paul did both. While the scared passengers and ship’s crew were paralyzed by fear, he displayed his trust in God.
“Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you” (Acts 27:23-24).
Second, display of true faith is confidence in what God says and that God will do what He says.
“So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told” (Acts 27:25).
His Word is the first, the middle, and the last in all things. From creation of this world to its end, the Word of the Lord is final and trustworthy.
Final truth about a genuine faith in the Lord is that it does not prevent suffering. Though God promised that all onboard would be saved, it included the painful experience of running aground. Deliverance without suffering is not the nature of true faith. Just remember the cross of Christ for the ultimate display of true faith and suffering.
PRAYER: Father, help me to see that real trust in You is only validated by the rough seas of life.
REFLECTION: Trust in the Lord looks beyond circumstances and emotions to the promises He has made to us.