276 people were lost at sea for 2 weeks in winter. The weather was so bad they neither saw the sun in the day nor the stars at night. The sailors had lost complete control of the ship and it was like a cork in the storm. Wind and waves battered them continuously and everyone lost all hope of rescue. With their appetite for both food and life long gone, one man stood up and said, “Friends, you really should have listened to me and not set sail but winter at the harbour we were in. We could have avoided all this trouble and trial. But there’s no need to dwell on that now. From now on, things are looking up! I can assure you that there’ll not be a single drowning among us, although I can’t say as much for the ship – the ship itself is doomed.” - Luke on his journey to Rome with the apostle Paul (Acts 27)
It continues to amaze me that even in the midst of severe tossing and buffeting of cold wind and icy waves, Paul could still maintain his composure and keep at his discipline of hearing from God. Even though he was a victim of other people’s bad decisions and incompetence, he neither played the blame game of condemnation nor sulked in a corner with self-pity. At the right moment, he was able to sense the leading of God to stand up and speak up – filling fearful hearts with hope and feeding hungry stomachs with food. May we be inspired to do the same – to be steadfast to Jesus till the end.
