August 29th, 2012
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Shipwreck and Safety

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Opening Prayer

Lord, awe and wonder grip me as I consider that You are all-knowing, all-wise, all-powerful. I praise You.

Read Acts 27:27-44

[27] On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. [28] They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty feet deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was ninety feet deep. [29] Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. [30] In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. [31] Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.” [32] So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it drift away. [33] Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food-you haven’t eaten anything. [34] Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” [35] After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. [36] They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves. [37] Altogether there were 276 of us on board. [38] When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea. [39] When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. [40] Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach. [41] But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf. [42] The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. [43] But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. [44] The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.

Meditate

Recall a time when you were in a dangerous or life-threatening situation. How did you cope? How was God there for You?

Think Further

Paul and his fellow sailors knew that sea journeys in winter, even in the relatively placid Mediterranean, were unpredictably dangerous. There is something particularly scary about a storm at sea. When you are only a few feet from an angry sea, as I was once in a sailing boat, your fragility becomes very apparent. We survived, and said a psalm in thanks when we had made it to a sheltered cove.

Paul, a prisoner, yet with considerable authority, persuades the sailors to take a different course of action in order to survive. His confidence that he and everyone else will survive means that he has command of the situation; and so it is that trust in God’s promises can help us to lift ourselves from the very real fears we face. Some fear is fine—it helps us survive—but it needs to be put in perspective by a fear of God, which produces wisdom as well as peace (Prov. 1:7; Psa. 4:8). That seems to be what Paul has here.

Once again the circumstantial details make the incident exciting and compelling. They are traveling in a grain boat (38) which was large enough to take a lot of passengers (37). For Luke, the historicity of this incident is also a testimony to the providence of God. Storms happen, and we also have to say that we can’t often discern anything beyond that. Is it part of a larger pattern? Is it God’s precise purpose for someone, somewhere? It can be dangerous to speculate, but it can be just as dangerous to ignore the possibilities.

Apply

Consider if God is speaking to you (softly or loudly) through some recent incident. If so, what is God saying and how will you respond?

Closing prayer

Lord of the storm and the calm, the wind and the stillness, the night and the day, and the ups and downs of my life, I trust You anew today.

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