I Believe God

Introduction

Having now had the opportunity to witness to King Agrippa and Felix the governor Paul must continue on his journey towards Rome.

His journey however is not to be without difficulty and danger. He and his companions along with a number of other prisoners are loaded onto a ship to set sail.

The journey begins with difficulty as the ship and its passengers struggle to make headway against unfavorable conditions.

They finally arrived in a place that was often spoken of as the “fair havens” near the city of Lasea, and it is here that Paul begins to admonish those directing their course.

Paul warned them that the journey ahead was to be fraught with danger and would likely result in much damage to the ship and to their lives.

This may have been a spiritual perception or simply a natural wisdom which Paul possessed but either way those who were in positions of authority refused to heed Paul’s warning.

The majority agreed that they should press on in the hope of reaching a more desirable place to winter, the city of Phenice.

As they set sail it seemed that conditions would be favorable to their goal but the favorable conditions were short-lived and ultimately they found themselves in the midst of a tempest being tossed and being fearful that the ship would be sunk.

This lead to their casting overboard even the necessary tackling of the ship in hopes of preventing their demise.

Several days passed and the ship was caught in the darkness of the tempest and could not see even the light of the sun or the stars.

Finally all onboard the ship began to lose hope that they should arrive safely to shore and only then does Paul again speak.

Paul had undoubtedly been fasting and praying for sometime when he arrives and begins to reassure them all.

Paul reminded them of his former warning and how they might have avoided such damage and loss which was surely ahead had they given heed to his instructions.

Yet Paul goes on to assure them that they need not fear because he had heard from God and he was confident that no man’s life would be lost for he was confident in the message he had received.

There are some valuable lessons which may be learned from these circumstances:

We learn the importance of who you listen to (Vs. 10-15)

The apostle Paul warned those where were in charge of the ship that to continue on would be hazardous to the ship and to their lives.

We do not know if Paul’s warning was merely due to his abundant experience aboard ships in the region or if it came as the result of some spiritual insight.

Either way Paul had reason to believe that he journey was not worth the risk and that it would likely result in serious calamity.

Both the master and the owner of the ship were intent on sailing for Phenice, a safer more protected port where they could remain until the winter storms had passed.

The centurion placed a greater value upon their opinion than he did that of the apostle Paul since these men were sailors by trade. Neglecting the fact that they may also have had ulterior motives such as trying to make up for lost time in their shipment.

The majority of those who were consulted, also agreed that it would be better to sail on to Phenice.

The winds even seemed to be in their favor, beckoning them to sail on.

All fo these things combined to produce a poor decision which would prove a costly mistake.

We cannot alway believe the experts. It is not always wise to go along with the majority. We must recognize that the simple fact that conditions are favorable does not always indicate that we are following the will of God.

We must be careful who we listen to. It is always good to give heed to godly counselors. Ultimately we must look to God for direction lest we be fooled into following a path we shall later regret.

When godly counselors and the Word of God are in conflict with the majority and the expert opinions of some we must trust God and His Word.

If we are constantly seeking the path of the majority and that which the experts would suggest that we take it is very likely that we will miss the will fo God for our lives.

Matthew 7:13–14 KJV 1900

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

We learn where to turn when it seems all hope is lost- (Vs. 16-24)

As Paul and his fellow prisoners sail on things go from bad to worse and the ship is caught in a terrible tempest which draws them far off course.

There is fear that the ship will not be able to survive the storm and there are preparations made in an attempt to save the ship from being torn apart.

Those on board began to lighten the ship by tossing the cargo overboard attempting to salvage their voyage and to allow the ship to weather the storm.

Finally the situation becomes so desperate that they are forced to cast overboard even the tackling of the ship.

Then for days on end the storm is so terrible that they are unable even to catch a glimpse of the sun or stars.

The same majority who had insisted that they sail on have now lost hope. They have concluded that there is no chance that they shall be saved from destruction.

Yet among them there is one who still has hope, the same who had warned them not to undertake the journey, the Apostle Paul.

While they have been trying everything in their power to prevent the inevitable destruction of the ship, Paul has been fasting and praying, calling upon God for deliverance.

There will be moments in our lives when it seems all hope is lost, when it seems there is no light at the end of the tunnel, when we wonder if we shall ever emerge from the storm we are in. In these moments we must seek God’s face and cry out to Him.

Paul, after many days, has finally received a message from God that the ship shall indeed be destroyed but the lives of all those on board shall be spared.

Paul offers forth a message of hope and encourages those who have lost hope to be of good cheer knowing that God shall deliver them.

We learn to believe God- (Vs. 26-27)

The messenger from God confirmed what Paul had already been told, that he would indeed testify of Christ in Rome and so Paul was confident that his life would be spared and yet now having received this message from God, he was just as confident that the lives of all on board the ship would be spared as well.

In the face of what seems to be insurmountable odds, Paul chose to believe God!

There shall be circumstances in our lives when it seems all hope is lost and it seems that the promises of God cannot possibly be true, and yet we must do as Paul did and choose to believe God.

Such was Paul’s confident faith in God that even when it seemed impossible that God’s Word should be fulfilled, Paul chose to believe God.

When we choose to believe God, fear is replaced by a confident faith that God shall deliver on His promises.

We must never allow the circumstances that surround us or the opposition that stands against us to cause us to fail to believe God.

If God says it, all we must do is to believe it. When we seek God’s face and hear His voice, we can move confidently forward trusting His guidance and protection.

How unlikely it seemed that Paul’s life, much less the lives of all the ships other passengers would be spared and yet this is exactly what transpires.

Just as God had promised not one life was lost and Paul’s journey would continue until he arrived in Rome to testify of Christ there.

Conclusion

Who are you listening to? We had better be cautious when we listen to the voice of “experts” or of the majority, for this may prove to be a mistake in the end.

Where do you turn when it seems all hope is lost? Will you turn to God and seek deliverance from Him? Will you fast and pray for God to work?

Do you believe God? When God speaks will you take Him at His Word and trust Him to deliver upon His promises to you?