Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul then stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and thereby avoided this damage and loss. I urge you now to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For last night there stood by 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 the emperor; and indeed, God has granted safety to all those who are sailing with you.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.” Acts 27:21-25 (NRS)
From Luke’s narrative, we see that foolish men were in charge of the expedition. Sailing had been difficult and dangerous for several days before reaching the port of Fair Havens (27:7-8). Any thinking person would have considered why the shipping industry gave this port the name of Fair Havens. The time for safe shipping had already past (27:9). Wisdom would have been to stay in port and wait until the weather improved. God’s man gave wise counsel that went unheeded (27:10). They may have thought he had ulterior motives.
It seems a safe conclusion that the pilot’s arrogant pride and the owner’s greed became strong issues. The ship’s captain placed his faith in his and his crew’s experience and ability. The owner placed his faith in his ship. In any case, their arguments against Paul’s counsel placed the ship, the cargo, and the passengers in grave danger (27:11).
Finally, the Roman centurion asked the sailors and passengers their opinions. Obviously, some voted against sailing, but the majority voted to risk everything (27:12). They placed their faith in majority decision. They only understood the situation from their own perspectives. Talk about ulterior motives! They were driven by something besides wisdom, experience, or faith. And when that is the case, disaster is the result.
So they set sail in a raging Mediterranean storm of hurricane proportions. And soon, despite their best efforts, they lost control of the ship, threw out the anchor; but the violent winds continued to drag them along (27:13-17). As their situation worsened, they threw the cargo overboard, but it didn’t seem to help any (27:18). They threw the ship’s sailing equipment overboard, and it didn’t help either (27:19). Everyone except Paul lost all hope of being saved (27:20). His faith was in God!
Despite the foolishness of men, God’s purpose would be achieved. In this very dangerous situation the man of God had been praying, so God sent an angel with His answer. And since their hope was all gone, the ship’s company listened as this praying preacher spoke. They would be shipwrecked, but no one would lose his life. When it comes down to real value, life is our treasure. Then Paul spoke the most important words of all: “I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.”
Dear Father, thank you for the assurance you give. Energize us with the confidence that what you have said will be done. This I pray in the name of Jesus. AMEN
Be encouraged today by your faith in God,