“Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship… And so it was that all were brought safely to land.” Acts 27:21-22, 44

You may remember the story of Paul and the many prisoners being delivered to Italy and setting sail straight into a hurricane. There came a point in the journey that they began to lose control of the ship and started tossing things overboard to regain control.  However, nothing was working and after days of virtually no sun or even stars at night… Acts 27:20 tells us they abandoned all hope that they would be saved.

Sure, we all have our storms in life.  We all have those small, medium, BIG, and downright seemingly IMPOSSIBLE trials and challenges that we face.  The passengers of the ship and it’s crew were focusing on keeping that ship afloat and once they saw that they had no control at all left… they gave up.  Have you ever been to that place before… where it seemed like no matter WHAT you did, said, or how hard you prayed… nothing would change and you could see no way through it?  That’s where all these men found themselves… except for one…

Paul, after all hope was “abandoned,” stood up and urged them (chp 27 vs 22-26) to “take heart,” that an angel of God spoke to him that very night and told him that God had a plan for him and had granted him the lives of all those with him… that only the ship and it’s contents would be lost.

In the middle of the storm, when all hope was gone, Paul told them to not have faith in the boat, but, to have faith in the God “to whom I belong and whom I worship.” (vs 23)

And although the ship was destroyed as God said it would be, they all made it to land and safety (vs 44)… not only that, but, they were treated with “unusual kindness” by the native people of Malta where they landed (chp 28 vs 1-2)

Today, understand something, that no matter WHAT the world has planned for you… no matter what your circumstance are… no matter what happens to you… though it may be rough and though it may hurt and be inconvenient and painful… don’t place your faith in the boat, but, in the One Who made the trees that boat is made of!  Don’t trust the boat to keep you floating, trust the One Who walked on water!! (Matthew 14:22-33). Because no matter what the world has planned for you… GOD’s plan for you will always come out on top!

Pray today that God would help you see Him more and more for Who He is… “the founder and perfecter of our faith!” (Hebrews 12:2)

The Martins