Trusting in the Promise

Introduction

Acts 27:21-38

Acts 27:21–38 CSB

21 Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul then stood up among them and said, “You men should have followed my advice not to sail from Crete and sustain this damage and loss. 22 Now I urge you to take courage, because there will be no loss of any of your lives, but only of the ship. 23 For last night an angel of the God I belong to and serve stood by me 24 and said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul. It is necessary for you to appear before Caesar. And indeed, God has graciously given you all those who are sailing with you.’ 25 So take courage, men, because I believe God that it will be just the way it was told to me. 26 But we have to run aground on some island.” 27 When the fourteenth night came, we were drifting in the Adriatic Sea, and about midnight the sailors thought they were approaching land. 28 They took soundings and found it to be a hundred twenty feet deep; when they had sailed a little farther and sounded again, they found it to be ninety feet deep. 29 Then, fearing we might run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight to come. 30 Some sailors tried to escape from the ship; they had let down the skiff into the sea, pretending that they were going to put out anchors from the bow. 31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers cut the ropes holding the skiff and let it drop away. 33 When it was about daylight, Paul urged them all to take food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have been waiting and going without food, having eaten nothing. 34 So I urge you to take some food. For this is for your survival, since none of you will lose a hair from your head.” 35 After he said these things and had taken some bread, he gave thanks to God in the presence of all of them, and after he broke it, he began to eat. 36 They all were encouraged and took food themselves. 37 In all there were 276 of us on the ship. 38 When they had eaten enough, they began to lighten the ship by throwing the grain overboard into the sea.

Read through 26

Pray

Paul on his way to Rome. The wind has been a constant adversary and they have had to slow down and they were caught out in the waters at the wrong time of year. A typhoon wind struck the boat and blew it off course quite a ways 475 miles. They are afraid they are going to die. It’s a dire situation. I think of those sailors on the ship in Jonah. This seems to be bigger storm than that one. Different time improvements have been made in ships. But those sailors were praying and ditching things over board and asking the prophet Jonah to save them. Willing, reluctantly, but willing to pitch a man over board to his death to save the ship.

And here Paul is on this boat and they are in a storm and they don’t have enough time to eat they have been so busy trying to keep the boat afloat. Well that and the panic of a giant storm blowing you around with the threat of death. 14 days they go without eating.

As the sailors think they are getting close to land they start sounding and thinking of going out in the row boat. So the centurion and the sailors cut the skip loose making them depend all the more on the Lord’s Deliverance.

And Paul has the courage and the trust in God to stand and say “keep up your courage, for there will be no loses of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and who m I serve stood before me, saying ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you’.”

Trust

What trust in God is that!

Do I trust in God that much that when everything is going wrong I can say whatever happens God will see me through?

That can be tough. Easy here in our pews, But …

Psalm 25:1–5 LEB

1 To you, O Yahweh, I lift up my soul. 2 O my God, I trust you; let me not be put to shame. Do not let my enemies exult over me. 3 Indeed, none who wait for you should be put to shame. Those who betray without cause should be put to shame. 4 Make me know your ways, O Yahweh. Teach me your paths. 5 Cause me to walk in your truth and teach me, because you are the God of my salvation. I await you all day long.

This Psalm is a prayer of Trust. And it is from this trust that we have hope. And I am not talking about a secular idea of hope. The feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best. Hope in this secular since almost means like I wish that things would turn out for the best. No Because we trust we can hope. I trust that God will turn out things for the best. I hope that God will turn out things for the best. More than a feeling it is a knowledge and reliance on God that he will follow through with his promises.

So when I say I put my hope in you. I put my trust in you. I put my life in you.

And we can put our trust in God. When we think about who God is:

The God who is Love

The God who Created out of his Love

The God who has a plan for us

A God who has a plan to prosper us and not to harm us

Plans for hope and a future

A God who sees the big picture and knows your heart’s desire

Who has the hairs numbered on your head and knows them all

A God who came down himself

Lived a perfect life to be the ultimate sacrifice

And was the perfect lamb

So he was beaten and crucified and raised from the dead so that we can have salvation

We can trust God

Do You Put Your Trust in The Heavenly Father? Next Steps

Do you?

Have you accepted him with your salvation

Do you trust him with your finances?

Trust God with your plans

Trust God with your life

Do you trust that he will meet your needs

Most instances in which we disobey God

It’s because we don’t trust him

I can do it alone

Is there something you need to trust God with today

Pray