In Acts 27, we find the Apostle Paul caught in a terrible storm. He is journeying to Rome as a prisoner, where he would eventually be put under house arrest. On his way, we see the provision of God in granting him favor and ultimately preserving his life (and the lives of those with him). In verse 10, we find an early warning from Paul to the centurion not to put out to sea, for there would be loss of life and property. Unfortunately, they did not heed his warning and eventually found themselves in a life threatening tempest. Luke gives an account of just how desperate their situation appeared.
“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 (ESV).
I can only imagine how terrifying it would be to find yourself caught in a storm of such magnitude- and lose hope. I wonder what was going through the apostle Paul’s mind as he felt the boat toss in the waves (perhaps someday, I will ask him!). We know from a few verses later that an angel of the Lord appeared and gave him a message of hope: they would survive. In this time of fear and hopelessness, the apostle stood before the men and relayed the good news.
“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.” Acts 27:22-26 (ESV).
What strikes me about this passage is the place the apostle Paul is standing when he makes the bold declaration: “So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.” He’s not standing in front of the church, or surrounded by his brothers. Instead, he says this to a boat full of men who do not know Jesus. We know from earlier that the sky was dark over the ship (“when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days…”). In addition to the physical darkness that could be seen, there was also spiritual darkness. Paul is speaking of his faith in the provision of God, in the midst of incredibly dark circumstances! In incredible fear and the darkness of unbelief, here comes a flame of hope.
In the darkness, it can be hard to believe that our faith will have an impact on others- especially on those who don’t share our faith. We’ve been conditioned to be silent in so many situations, holding little flames of hope in our own hearts. While we probably won’t find ourselves in a literal storm tossed ship, the world is tumultuous. There are storms that arise around the believer and unbeliever alike. What do we do when we are metaphorically in the same boat? We see the apostle Paul’s approach!
“As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing. Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength, for not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you.” And when he had said these things, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat. Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves. (We were in all 276 persons in the ship.) And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea.” Acts 27:33-38 (ESV).
The apostle Paul spoke words of encouragement and faith in their midst. What was their response? They were encouraged! Not only were they encouraged, but we see that they ate and then threw the rest of the grain overboard! Certainly God was at work in the hearts of these men, bringing light and hope to a dark situation, through the obedience of Paul. We don’t know how many men believed in Christ through this trial, but no matter that number, we see an example of how devotion to Christ reaches through the darkness to those around us. So let us be encouraged by this example!
Dear sister, your words matter. Your faith matters. How you encourage those around you (whether they are believers or not) it all has the potential to be used by the Holy Spirit. So be the light of the gospel in a dark place. Speak God’s truth in a storm. Encourage the people in your “boat” to look to God for salvation. We may be on a “boat” in this season, not for ourselves, but to share the comfort we have been given with those who need it. We have an even greater hope than the men who were told their lives would be spared- we have the assurance of eternal salvation! So let us live the light of the gospel today, and as we’re led, direct those around us to “look up!” Salvation has come in the form of the Savior from Nazareth.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (ESV).
Questions:
- What comfort have you received from the Lord in affliction?
- Has the Lord brought people into your life (perhaps in a storm) who needed to see and experience the comfort you received?
- What do we see in the apostle’s example that we can follow in our own interactions within the world?
