Keeping Your Head in a Crisis - Acts 27:27-44

“Keeping Your Head in a Crisis”

Acts 27:27-44

©Copyright 2004 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche, March 7, 2004

For some people, life seems to be one crisis after another. For most of us, we only have to face a true crisis every once in a while.

A Doctor gives you a report you weren’t expecting about you or a family memberA change in circumstances creates financial pressure you don’t know how to handleAn unexpected change in a relationship forces you to change all your future plansAn accident, arrest, lawsuit, physical ailment or fire necessitates a sudden change in priorities.

These kinds of things create a crisis. This morning I am going to talk about how to survive those times.

In Acts 27 we see the apostle Paul and his companions in a crisis. Paul, Luke, Aristarchus and 273 other people were on a ship that was caught in a Hurricane-like storm. The people on the ship had been tossed about for two weeks to the point where they had despaired of ever being saved.

Paul had been assured by the Lord that everyone would be saved. He shared that information with those on board the ship. In our text this morning we see the conclusion of that storm and the shipwreck that placed them on the island of Malta.

The story is pretty straightforward. After two weeks on the sea the crew of the ship “sensed they were approaching land”. Most likely they could hear water coming to shore over the rocks. They couldn’t see anything because it was midnight, so they checked the depth of the water using a rope and a weight. When they first checked the depth it was 120 feet deep. The next time they checked, it was 90. Land was definitely getting closer.

They had no idea what land they were approaching or whether they could survive the approach to that land. They didn’t want to approach the land until it was daylight so they put four anchors into the water, all at the stern or the back of the ship. Their hope was to keep the bow of the ship facing the land until they could see well enough to steer the ship to shore. There are several practical principles we can learn from this story.

A CRISIS REVEALS A PERSON’S TRUE CHARACTER

This story of high seas adventure reveals the true character of the crew of the ship. In the middle of the night they tried to lower the lifeboat so they could get to shore. They knew they did not have enough lifeboats for everyone so they decided to save themselves.

Paul and Luke saw what they were doing. They could have asked that the crew take them with them in the boat but they didn’t. Instead they declared that everyone on board must face the crisis together or none of them would survive. In the crisis, Paul saw beyond himself. The sailors saw only their own need.

I remember an embarrassing moment as a boy. I was walking down one side of the street one day and I saw a lady hit a patch of ice and fall hard to the ground. I’d like to tell you I rushed up to her and asked her if she was OK and helped her to her feet. Unfortunately, the truth is that I quickly crossed the street to the other side so I could pretend I saw nothing. I caught a glimpse of my character and didn’t like what I saw.

The times of crisis are like this. They reveal whether we are honest or only those who change the truth to suit ourselves; whether we are compassionate or indifferent; whether we are a true friend or a fair-weather friend; whether we are committed or not, and whether we have faith or only profess faith;

IN A CRISIS, WE MUST TRUST GOD MORE THAN WE TRUST OURSELVES

The sailors on the ship panicked. They should have known that the passengers could never get to shore if they deserted the ship. Fortunately, Paul saw what the sailors were doing and told the Centurion to stop them. They cut the ropes to the boat to keep the sailors from escaping. Unfortunately, by cutting the rope they also made the boat unavailable for those on board who couldn’t swim.

In the morning, when daylight came, they cut the ropes to the anchors (so they would all be released at the same time and the boat wouldn’t be turned). They steered the ship toward shore. They made a run for it. Unfortunately, the ship became hung up on a sandbar and the waves began to rip the vessel apart. This time the soldiers panicked. They believed the prisoners might escape (which would cost the soldier their life), so they decided to kill all the prisoners. The Centurion stopped them from their plan.

The soldiers and sailors should have trusted the Lord. But, as we know from personal experience, that’s easier said than done.

In a time of crisis our natural tendency is to trust ourselves more than we trust the Lord. We show this in two ways. We will trust our own devices. In other words, we impulsively try to fix things. We are like the sailors and soldiers. Often we act before we think,

· We strike out with violence

· We quit our job

· We commit adultery

· We make a foolish purchase

· We walk out on a relationship

· We get drunk or “high”

· We drive at a dangerous rate of speed

· We say things we will regret the rest of our lives

In each case we are acting impulsively trying to make ourselves feel better immediately. It almost always makes a bad situation worse.

We Trust Our Feelings rather than His promises. We know what God has said, but we also know how we feel. Generally, we give more credence to our feelings than God’s promises. So, things are bad so we despair, give up, or withdraw. Unfortunately, feelings are fickle. They can’t be trusted.

We may feel that God is mad at us. And when we do, we must remind ourselves that just because we feel this way, it doesn’t make it true. We may feel that things are out of control. In truth, things may simply be out of OUR control. We may feel that there is no way to recover. In truth, we don’t even know what recovery looks like. We can’t trust our feelings in a time of crisis. Our system is on “overload” and things tend to get distorted.

One of the causes of suicide is this tendency to trust our feelings and our ability to “fix things”. Here’s what happens: a person believes their feelings that things are hopeless. They lose perspective. From this hopeless feeling they take impulsive action that they think (in their confused thinking at the time) will solve the problem. Most suicides would never have taken place if the person had waited 24 hours. In that time, they often regain a little of their perspective.

Rather than thinking impulsively or trusting our feelings, we need to remind ourselves of three truths about God.

· First, God understands our circumstances. We are not abandoned. He understands the depth of our pain, fear, or loss. He understands even when no else seems to understand.

· Second, God is aware of all the contingencies of our situation. He knows all the things that can happen. He knows the upside and the downside. He knows the bad things that could happen and the good things that could happen. God not only knows these things, He has control over them.

· Third, God knows the ultimate conclusion of every situation. God’s perspective is like being in an airplane while we are on the river paddling our canoe. All we can see is the tree up ahead. God sees the turns in the river and can where the river is headed. Our perspective is limited. His is not. God knows what He can and will do in you and through you because of the circumstance you are going through. Sometimes, the things we consider to be most tragic actually turn out to be positive turning points for our lives.

There are a lot of bad things that happen in life. Many of those things I doubt I will ever understand on this side of Heaven. In these times we must hold on to the character of our Loving, All-Powerful and Gracious Father. When we cannot see clearly, we must trust the One who does see clearly.

WE MUST CALMLY DO WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE

As a Pastor, I know one of the best things I can do in a crisis situation is to be calm. People in a crisis need to be reminded that things are not out of control. I must not panic because He is not panicked. In times of crisis I can often hear and see what the person in the midst of the crisis cannot see or hear.

Does it seem strange to you that in the midst of this account the Apostle Paul exhorts all the people on the ship to stop to eat? Isn’t this an odd time for a lunch break? Not really. It’s likely that these folks haven’t eaten in many days. The tension of the storm, the seasickness, the difficulty of preparing food when a ship is being tossed about, and the preoccupation with the danger at hand, all combined to keep people from eating.

Don’t mistake the ‘breaking of the bread’ as a celebration of communion. Paul was not “having church”. Paul would not have celebrated communion with people who were not believers. This is a simple meal. Paul knew the people were going to need their energy to get to shore. They had to eat. He was the voice of reason in the midst of the chaos. It seems like a little thing, but it reminds us of a simple principle: in the crisis we must trust God and yet do what needs to be done.

Let me give you an example of what I mean. If you are feeling really bad physically, you should not only pray . . . you should go see a Doctor! If you, or a family member is arrested, you should not only trust God . . . you should contact an attorney! In times of crisis we should do what we can.

· Try to get keep up our strength by getting some sleep

· Call family and friends and rally a support group

· Ask for prayer

· Gather up necessary papers or resources

· Contact your insurance agent

· Get some exercise to relive the stress

Sometimes the biggest help we can give to others in a time of crisis is to help them with the normal chores of life. We can bring in a meal, run errands, clean the house, make phone calls, and care for young children. Paul was calm and practical. We should be also.

CONCLUSIONS

The story concludes with the actual shipwreck. As this ship broke apart from the waves, those on board jumped into the water. Those who could swim headed for shore. Those who couldn’t swim grabbed on to a piece of the ship and road the waves into shallow water. We are told all of the 276 people safely arrived on shore. Not one person was lost! God delivered on His promise even though the odds seemed stacked against Him.

There are many tragic things that happen in the course of life. Many of these things create a crisis in our lives. Some of these things leave lasting scars. As God was faithful with those traveling with Paul, He will be faithful with you.

When you find yourself in a crisis, here are seven things to do,

1. Breathe. Take a deep breath. Take a moment to get your wits about you.

2. Listen. Listen to what others are telling you (the Doctor, the Police officer, your child, your boss, your counselor). Work hard to hear what is being said rather than reacting to what is being said. Make sure you get accurate information. Don’t draw conclusions that are premature.

3. Pray. Ask God to wrap His arms around you and give you light in the darkness.

4. Do the things you need to do. Ask someone to help you make a list of what you need to do and what you can do to make the situation better. Once you’ve made the list, begin working on doing the things on that list.

5. Draw strength from a friend. Accept the fact that your reasoning capacity may very well be compromised in a time of crisis. Let your friend help you sort through the many things that seem to be rushing at you.

6. Trust, Trust, Trust. Repeat the promises of God. Recount the attributes of God. Remind yourself of the depth of His love revealed in Christ. Sing a hymn that testifies of His power, mercy and grace.

7. Hang on. Better yet, trust that God will hang on to you.

Nobody likes a crisis. We cannot know how we are going to respond when a crisis comes into our lives. Just because we don’t know how we are going to respond doesn’t mean we shouldn’t prepare. Every winter we are encouraged to prepare our vehicle for winter weather. We are told to check our tires, keep our tank full, pack a blanket, flashlight, jumper cables, shovel and other items that will help us if we were to be stranded in the cold. In like manner let me suggest that we be prepared for the possibility of a crisis by making some advance preparations.

First, we need a sure faith. Ask yourself a simple question: “If I were to die today, am I sure I would go to heaven?” If you can’t answer that question with a confident “yes!” you need to take a hard look at your spiritual life. Talk to us, we’d love to tell you how you can sure of eternal life. If you are sure of your eternal destiny then train yourselves to face every anxious time with a simple question: “Do I trust Him, or don’t I?”

Second, become familiar with the Word of God. Memorize His promises. Hide His truth in your heart. God’s Word will prop you up in difficult times. It is a neglected resource.

Third, cultivate a network of caring Christian friends. You need people who can provide you with spiritual strength in tough times. You need people who will pray for and with you. You need people who will help you hold God’s hand. The best place to make these friends is right here.

We must accept the fact that crisis times come into everyone’s life. And since we know these times are coming, we should be prepared. When the boat of life capsizes it’s a little late to wish we had learned to swim. May God help us to face whatever comes our way with the confidence that comes from being a child of the King.

©Copyright 2004 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche, March 7, 2004