"....and the rest, some on boards and some on parts of the ship. And so it was that they all escaped safely to land." (Acts 27:44)
Every time I read Acts 27 I am reminded of the "battle of life." Can we possibly imagine the terror which most of those on board that ship went through, the loss of possessions, the exhaustion, soaked to the bone, shivering with cold?
Think, for a moment, of the unfolding of events in the passage. Naturally the owner of the ship wanted to get going on the journey, "Now when much time had been spent," or in other words, "time is money." You will recall, however, that Paul warned them, "I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives." How many lives are like this. We couldn't wait to get going with life, so we made many decisions which were thought to not waste all that time, and ignored something like, "wait on the Lord." Many peoples' lives end as the journey recorded in Acts 27 did, men soaked to the bone, cold, hungry, and nothing of which they began the journey.
"I perceive...." Maybe the, "I perceive," people should have been listened to. How many times have we all had an, "I perceive," person in our lives and we did not heed the, "I perceive." How did they, "perceive"? Was it a "gift of the Spirit?" Or perhaps it wasn't all that "spiritual." Maybe it was someone who was recognizing something they had been through and was passing it on to us. Whatever the source of, "I perceive," so very, very many of us should have taken heed to, "I perceive," instead of, "Nevertheless the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul." Regardless, it's too late for all of that now. Perhaps in what time we all have left in our sojourn, we should all be more alert and considering and obeying that, "I perceive, whether from a person, or that, "still small voice."
There is a principle of our Lord Jesus in this chapter which is cause for great rejoicing, "Paul stood in the midst of them and said,...'For there stood by me this night an angel of God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, 'Do not be afraid Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.' Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. However, we must run aground on a certain island." I was doing fine until that, "However...." But it seems to be a theme running through the Bible. "....they all escaped safely...," but in between the horrendous storm and the, "....all escaped...," there is always a, "However."
I wonder how much of my life was spared "disaster at sea" because of a "Paul" in my life. Just another thought. At any rate, Jesus' Shed Blood, Death and Resurrection is the guarantee that to all who are repentant and surrender their lives to Jesus, we too will, "....all escape safely to [That] land."
Father, in Jesus' Name, thank you for another reminder of this lesson of life. Amen.
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We are looking at October dates now. I forgot just how much more expensive things are in Germany during Oktoberfest, which is mostly in September. I know, Go figure.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Hebrews 12:2
Hebrews 12:2
