Shipwrecked

I love parameters. Don’t you love parameters? Guidelines? It’s incredibly challenging to do much of anything without parameters. We need guidelines. I have many opportunities to lead a devotional in my line of work, and sometimes it’s difficult. Talk about something out of the Bible. There’s a lot of topics within that. Or how about his when you’re with a new group. Tell us about yourself. Where do I begin?

Or with my kids. I try to remember not to say, clean this room, especially with the younger ones. I try to have more specifics. Pick up every sock and put it in the hamper. We need guidelines to thrive. Too much choice, too many paths, can sometimes render us totally useless. We need a direction and guidelines.

As we have been looking at the life of the Apostle Paul the last several weeks in the book of Acts, he has a clear direction. A clear purpose. Very well defined parameters he needs to work within. At all times, he is telling the good news of Jesus as the messiah and His resurrection from the dead. He testifies to Jew and gentile alike. It does not matter where he is, he testifies.

Over the last couple of weeks, we have looked at Paul’s journey as he was arrested in Jerusalem, had plots to kill him on the road, went before a couple different roman governors over the course of over 2 years, and then he appeals to Ceaser because he is a roman citizen and does not wish to go back to be tried in Jerusalem.

Now the way Paul is treated by the Romans is pretty good all things considered. Nevertheless, he is still a prisoner. So he has appealed to Ceaser, so he is to be taken to Rome. For a frame of reference, let’s throw up the maps and see where Paul’s journey takes him.

MAP

Paul’s Journey Begins: Paul, along with other prisoners, is handed over to a centurion named Julius of the Augustan Cohort to be taken to Rome.

Setting Sail: They board a ship from Adramyttium, departing from Caesarea, with Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, accompanying them.

First Stop – Sidon: The ship docks at Sidon, where Julius allows Paul to visit friends who provide for his needs.

Navigating Challenges: They sail past Cyprus, struggling against contrary winds, indicating early difficulties in the voyage.

Transfer at Myra: In Myra (Lycia), they switch to an Alexandrian ship bound for Italy, likely a grain ship, continuing their journey.

Slow Progress: The ship sails slowly for many days due to persistent winds, barely reaching Cnidus, then reroutes past Crete near Salmone.

Sheltered at Fair Havens: They arrive at Fair Havens near Lasea on Crete, finding temporary shelter, but the journey remains delayed.

Dangerous Timing: Much time passes, and sailing becomes hazardous as it’s after the Day of Atonement (late September to early October), marking the stormy season.

Paul’s Warning: Paul advises against continuing, warning the crew that the voyage will lead to disaster—loss of cargo, ship, and lives.

Decision to Proceed: The centurion, swayed by the pilot and ship owner rather than Paul, decides to push on, aiming for Phoenix, a better harbor on Crete.

Favorable Wind: A gentle south wind tempts them to sail from Fair Havens, raising hopes of reaching Phoenix safely.

Sudden Storm – Euroclydon: A violent northeasterly storm (Euroclydon) strikes, catching the ship and driving it helplessly away from Crete.

Loss of Control: The crew struggles as the ship is swept along, unable to steer against the wind’s fury.

Reinforcing the Ship: They pass south of Cauda, securing the lifeboat with difficulty and undergirding the ship with cables to prevent it from breaking apart.

Lightening the Load: Fearing the Syrtis sands (a dangerous shoal), they lower the gear and later jettison cargo to lighten the ship.

Prolonged Ordeal: The storm rages for days, blocking out sun and stars, leaving them disoriented and hopeless.

It’s bad. It’s dangerous. And there’s this verse that struck me as I read through this passage.

Acts 27:20 NIV

20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.

We often talk about the storms of life. Of being tossed about on the waves. But often it’s not just the beating, it’s the fear of being lost. The ships used the sky for navigation. The location of the sun. The location of certain stars and constellations, because it didn’t matter where they were at in the water, they could look up and get their bearings.

We finally gave up all hope of being saved. They didn’t know where they were. They couldn’t navigate. Not that it would matter all that much, because the wind was blowing every which way. God placed the stars in the sky and put everything into motion, and when we keep our eyes fixed on the things of God, even in the vastness of a great sea, we can get out bearings and remember our place.

There are so many people in our world that do not have direction. That do not have hope. When we don’t have a direction, that is true hopelessness. And I think that’s what so many people experience. Constantly changing directions. Try this way for a bit, then try another way. It’s easy to think of the straight and narrow path as being restrictive, but in a vast wilderness a straight and narrow path is actually a comfort.

A few years ago I went through a corn maze. It was a really good one, in that I actually got lost. There were no markers I could see in the sky, so at one point I genuinely didn’t know which way to go. It’s overwhelming when you stand in a place with multiple paths and you have no idea which one to take.

And that really is the gift of scripture. The gift of parameters. A framework in which to live. The scripture is the sky. A gift from God with which we can orient our direction. Hope in the midst of a storm.

So the sun and stars are gone, and the people are hopeless.

Acts 27:21 NIV

21 After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss.

This verse is a good reminder of something else. Our actions have consequences for others. It’s easy to blame others, but sometimes we are the reason we get into a treacherous storm, and often times we take others with us into the storm.

Acts 27:22 NIV

22 But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed.

Acts 27:23–24 NIV

23 Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me 24 and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’

Don’t worry Paul, you must stand trial before Caesar. Paul had every right to complain, didn’t he? He’s caught in this terrible storm. He must stand trial before Caesar. And yet, internally, he has his bearings. His external circumstances do not dictate his internal purpose. He has the scriptures. He has his mission from God. He is looking for every opportunity God places in his path. To everyone else, the sky is covered. They’re lost and beyond hope. But inside the sky is bright. He has his bearings. He knows exactly where he is in relation to the creator God. He doesn’t need to see all things, because he knows that the God who placed those stars up there sees far more than he does.

This God we serve sees the big picture. Isn’t that wonderful? This God gives us the way to get our bearings in the middle of the storm. But the ship will be destroyed.

We then see that the sailors sense they are approaching land. Paul says to everyone that everyone needs to stay with the ship, no one should use the life boat. Paul then urges everyone to eat in order to survive.

Acts 27:34 NIV

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.”

I love that this prisoner is ordering everyone around. And then

Acts 27:35–36 NIV

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.

What a powerful testimony. He gives thanks to God. I can’t wait to meet some of those Roman soldiers in heaven someday. These men that came to Christ because they were in charge of Paul. These polytheists that saw the Holy Spirit at work within this man, giving thanks to the one true God in the midst of the storm as everything comes to pass as he said it would.

This passage closes with Luke telling us that all 276 people on board ate their fill, then they threw the rest overboard to lighten the ship. They end up crashing into a sandbar, and we then read

Acts 27:42 NIV

42 The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping.

Acts 27:43–44 NIV

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.

He would have been within his rights to kill all the prisoners, but he wanted to spare Paul’s life. How many people came to faith in Jesus just on the trip into and through the storm? How many people lived because Paul was continually faithful?

We see, over and over again, Paul fulfilling setting the example of what it means to spread the gospel in all situations, both in word and action.

We so often get lost. We forget the destination. We lose sight of the guidelines. We look to things other than scripture to get our bearings and end up more lost that when we started.

This guide, these scriptures, maybe you don’t really use them. It’s like the stars. The best navigators know the stars. They have spent much time studying them, their positions, their movements, and their placement based on the season. It’s the same thing with our navigation through life. The more we study this guide God has given us, the more we recognize where we are in relationship to God and everything, and the less we fear when the storm comes in, because unlike the night sky, we always have access to God’s word.

And the beauty of God’s word is that it’s as vast as the night sky. And like the sailors, we orient our own ship in different directions at different times. Sometimes I spend more time in the beginning. Sometimes the prophets. Often the Psalms. Consistently in the gospels. But it’s still all God’s word.

That is what these scriptures are. As Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says

2 Timothy 3:16–17 NIV

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

We all have storms. We all get lost. The destination is Jesus, and it’s scripture that points the way.