Storms - Pt 3

When the fourteenth night had come, as we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land. So they took a sounding and found twenty fathoms. A little farther on they took a sounding again and found fifteen fathoms. And fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, and had lowered the ship's boat into the sea under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow, Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship's boat and let it go. (Acts 27:27-32 ESV).

Sometimes we will do everything possible to avoid the storms of life. These are those times when something more practical than “trusting his promise” comes along. We become more pragmatic than faith-filled. That night, the sailors were tempted to take this more pragmatic approach (vv. 27-30). They were willing to trust the promise of Paul’s God when they had nothing else to go on. But as soon as anything else appeared on the horizon, they were ready to jump ship. Pragmatism says, “Abandon ship and take your chances rowing for shore.” Faith says, “Stay aboard a sinking ship and trust God’s promises.” In our lives, how quickly do we abandon God’s sure promises when something more practical appears on the horizon? In our daily lives, the Scriptures are great when we feel hopeless, but how quick are we to jump ship the moment a more practical solution appears? After Paul convinces the sailors to cut away the ship’s boat, the story comes to a crashing finish: they strike a reef and run the ship aground (vv. 41-44). Notice verse 44: And so it was that all were brought safely to land. We all knew this was how the story would end. We had no doubt God would keep his promise. Strange, isn’t it? When we read God’s word, we never wonder how the story is going to end. It’s a foregone conclusion. God will keep his promise because he always does. The real question then becomes, how will God keep his promise? That’s the question we find ourselves asking over and over again in the storm: How? When Paul needed reassurance that God was going to deliver him, God didn’t tell him how. In fact, God simply reminded him of the promise he had already made. Tomorrow I will give you a few other promises from the Scripture. Today, I want to encourage you to remember those times in your live when all seemed lost and God simply plucked you from the fire of destruction. All is not lost today, even if it seems there is no way out. You’re merely learning how to sail your ship through the storms!