Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: Acts 27 and Psalm 95

After the drudgery and boredom of more than two years of imprisonment in Caesarea, the apostle Paul was suddenly thrust into a high-paced adventure at sea. Under the sovereign hand of the Lord, the Roman authorities set out to transport him to Rome to stand trial before Caesar. Along the way, however, the stubborn refusal of human hearts to listen to advice, combined with the wild forces of nature, cast Paul and his travelling companions into grave danger at sea. Luke’s first-hand description of the storm and their hopelessness, sea-sickness and fear is gripping (v.14-44).

In the atmosphere of terror and hopelessness aboard the ship, Paul’s prayerfulness and faith make him stand out head and shoulders above the rest of those aboard. While everyone else was convinced they would lose their lives, Paul received an angelic word of assurance. Now, it is one thing that he received it, but quite another than he believed it enough to stand up publicly and do everything in his power to get the others to believe it too. Relating his deeply personal encounter with an angel, Paul boldly announced that God had told him they would all be saved. he continued, “²⁵ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.”

Paul’s unshakable confidence in God and in the angelic word of promise that the Lord had given him made him stand out as a leader among everyone else aboard – even though he was a prisoner. He believed God and the word God had given him, when there was nothing else to believe. He couldn’t believe in the sailors, the ship, the sails, the wind, the centurion, human ingenuity or anything else. His trust was in God and God alone. This was not a fair-weather faith; he believed God in the midst of the storm, when circumstances were at their worst.

Life application: In every difficult circumstance today, turn your eyes and your heart to the Lord. Ask for His help, wisdom and assurance, and then move forward, trusting in His presence and His guidance. Put your faith in Him and be of good courage!