Pastor’s Bible Reading Schedule:
Acts 27-28
Tomorrow: Jude
In Acts 27:39-41 the text states, “And when it was day, they knew not the land: but they discovered a certain creek with a shore, into the which they were minded, if it were possible, to thrust in the ship. And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoised up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore. And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves.”
We have no question what happened in this text, for Luke tells the story in amazing detail. They didn’t know where they were, but they saw a place to run the ship onto the beach. Picture them cutting loose the anchors, lifting the rudders, and heading straight to shore. Remember, the storm was still blowing, so the bow of the ship aimed southwest when it hit an unseen sandbar and wedged fast. Now, rather than being blown across water, the ship absorbed the brunt of the winds and the pounding of the waves around it. Slowly it fell apart.
We have no question what happened in this text, for Luke tells the story in amazing detail. They didn’t know where they were, but they saw a place to run the ship onto the beach. Picture them cutting loose the anchors, lifting the rudders, and heading straight to shore. Remember, the storm was still blowing, so the bow of the ship aimed southwest when it hit an unseen sandbar and wedged fast. Now, rather than being blown across water, the ship absorbed the brunt of the winds and the pounding of the waves around it. Slowly it fell apart.
We should have no trouble at all picturing frantic men rushing to the bow, scrambling down rope ladders, or perhaps even diving into the turbulent waters. Remember the Philippian jailer? With prisoners besides Paul on board, Roman soldiers knew their duty. Julius protected him, it is interesting to note, yet another intervention by a Roman centurion in Paul’s life. Some swam to shore, some floated on pieces of wood, and in this way everyone reached land in safety, just as Paul had predicted.
Surely Luke intends us to see throughout this chapter that God’s hand was upon every specific detail of this voyage. The safe deliverance of all lives came only through obeying the Lord and listening to the words of his servant Paul. Paul, like all true servants of the Lord, knew how to practice the peace that comes from the will of God, especially under the pressure of crisis. I like the way one author puts it: “Here is the secret. Here was a man on two ships, one after the other, in storms, in stress and danger, with howling winds and creaking timbers and rending ropes and buffeting waves. Why was he quiet? Because the Lord was with him, and he knew it.”
Prayer Requests:
Personal
- Lord, please help me to be constantly aware of your presence with me.
- Lord, please help me to always obey your voice and submit to your will even when it involves a storm.
- Lord, please help me to be a testimony, like Paul, to men who are seeking direction in their lives.
Political
- Representative Steven Johnson
- Representative Jewell Jones
- Representative Bronna Kahle