Acts 27:1-12 Paul Sails for Rome
“When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment. We boarded an Adramyttian ship about to sail for ports along the coast of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us.
The next day we landed at Sidon, and Julius treated Paul with consideration, allowing him to visit his friends and receive their care. After putting out from there, we sailed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us. And when we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board.
After sailing slowly for many days, we arrived off Cnidus. When the wind impeded us, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone. After we had moved along the coast with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.
By now much time had passed, and the voyage had already become dangerous because it was after the Fast. So Paul advised them, “Men, I can see that our voyage will be filled with disaster and great loss, not only to ship and cargo, but to our own lives as well.”
But contrary to Paul’s advice, the centurion was persuaded by the pilot and by the owner of the ship. Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided to sail on, if somehow they could reach Phoenix to winter there. Phoenix was a harbor in Crete facing both southwest and northwest.”
One of the striking things about this passage is how chancy travel is in Paul’s day. The map helps us realize the length of a voyage between Caesarea and Italy. With no weather forecasting available, sailors are at the mercy of storms and currents. Even today, huge freighters have sunk during typhoons and hurricanes.
The ship Paul is on has sheltered temporarily at Fair Havens on the south side of Crete; however, this harbor is not a good one to winter in. Perhaps the harbor is not well protected, leaving it to the mercy of winter storms; at any rate, the owner and most of the crew choose to sail on around Crete to Pheonix, a more protected harbor.
Acts 27:13-26 The Storm at Sea (Jonah 1:4–10)
“When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they had their opportunity. So they weighed anchor and sailed along, hugging the coast of Crete. But it was not long before a cyclone called the Northeaster swept down across the island. Unable to head into the wind, the ship was caught up. So we gave way and let ourselves be driven along.
Passing to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we barely managed to secure the lifeboat. After hoisting it up, the crew used ropes to undergird the ship. And fearing that they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and were driven along.
We were tossed so violently that the next day the men began to jettison the cargo. On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the great storm continued to batter us, we abandoned all hope of being saved.
After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have followed my advice not to sail from Crete. Then you would have averted this disaster and loss. But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because you will not experience any loss of life, but only of the ship. For just last night an angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve, stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And look, God has granted you the lives of all who sail with you.’
So take courage, men, for I believe God that it will happen just as He told me. However, we must run aground on some island.”
Get the full picture. The soldiers and crew of this boat are so desperate that they have passed ropes around the ship to keep it from breaking up on sand bars and have also thrown the cargo and ship’s equipment overboard. Nobody has eaten anything for days. Now Paul stands up and announces that God is going to spare all of them, although they must run aground on an island. At this point, these men are likely to seize on anything that will give them hope.
There are 276 people on this boat, and only one of them is serving the One True Living God. But God cares about each one of these men, and He has a plan for their lives. Many times, we feel that we have been thrown into situations to flounder; meanwhile, God is working things out precisely.
Perhaps you feel like Paul’s shipmates. A situation that promised to be good has turned into a nightmare and you wonder if there is any means of escape. You fear for your career, your reputation, and your livelihood. But God is still in the miracle business, and God does not play favorites. The same God who has delivered Paul can also deliver you. Trust Him!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hare after You all the days of our lives, knowing that You are the One who can deliver us from every form of danger and evil. We ask this in the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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