Have you ever had a time in life where it felt like you faced one storm or challenge or hardship after another? I can think of several different times. One of those times was when Joe lost his job several different times during the recession.
Well,
Paul was no stranger to challenge after challenge. Last week, though, everyone
on the ship finally listened to Paul! They took his advice this time, ate and
were encouraged. Maybe Paul finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, he was
about to face another death sentence!
Acts 27:38-44 38 When they
had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain
into the sea.
39 When
daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy
beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. 40 Cutting
loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied
the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and
made for the beach. 41 But
the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not
move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf.
42 The
soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming
away and escaping. 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.
Safe at last! Paul seemed to have a challenge at every turn. He didn’t
worry or give up or blame God. He trusted God’s plans and His Sovereignty, even
when it didn’t look like anything good could come of something. God proved
trustworthy and accomplished His plans for and through Paul.
We can trust God’s Sovereignty, too. He has plans for each one of
us and will accomplish His plans for and through us. I’m nervous about several
things right now (mountains of work, kids going back to school, lots of changes
to our normal Fall schedule, etc.). It doesn’t help me to stay in a state of
fear. I can cast my cares on God. He cared for Paul and He will care for me!
What fear do you need to lay before God?
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