Seeking Safety in the Lord
“Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore. But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land. And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we managed with difficulty to secure the ship’s boat. After hosting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would run aground on the Sytris, they lowered the gear, and thus were driven along. 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 the 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 27:13-20).
A great fear of many drivers is the thought of their car being driven into a body of water and being stuck. Likewise, there are many who will not step foot onto a boat because of their fear of water. Why are so many people afraid of water? Well, it is likely because of stories such as this, experiencing a storm at sea that could cause the ship to sink or wreck.
When reading of such an occurrence, one may begin to wonder if anybody had thought to postpone the departure of the ship. Interestingly, there was. Earlier in the chapter, Paul says “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives,” (Acts 27:10). Unfortunately, despite the warnings, the centurion paid no attention to Paul’s warning and the voyage went on.
Later on Paul reminds the crew of what he had warned before when he says, “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 the ship. For this very night there stood before me an angel of 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 told you,” (Acts 27:21-25).
What many people may see from this passage is the hope that Paul gives the crew members that they will not die. While this is true, there is a bigger picture that can be seen here. This bigger picture relates to our relationship with God.
Several times throughout scripture we are given warnings to not disobey the commands of God and to not stray from Him. The first time this happens is with Adam and Eve.
“You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die,” (Genesis 2:16-17).
The warning was given yet Adam and Eve did not pay much attention to God’s warning and decided to go their own way. Likewise, we have all at times ignored the warnings and have strayed from the safe keeping of God. Fortunately, however, God gave us hope.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life,” (John 3:16).
Just like Paul warned the crew of the danger of setting sail, God warned us about the danger of leaving His side. Unfortunately, just like the crew ignoring the advice of Paul, we too ignore the warnings of God. Thankfully, we can ever rejoice that God has not left us stranded and granted us the gift of eternal life if we choice to come back to Him and follow His commands.
Seek Safety In The Lord This Week!
