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Acts 27:21-26
After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.”
New International Version (NIV)
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Remember the movie, The Perfect Storm? It told of fishermen from the Northeast who were lost in a terrible storm. We know something about storms in Houston. What was the worst meteorological storm you ever endured? Was it Carla or Ike? Was it worse than the epidemiological storm called Covid19? In view of the storms of life, I wonder, is it ever God’s will for his people to go through hard times?
“If you get outside God’s will you may find yourself in a storm.” Have you ever heard that? A leader in a Texas church said this to his pastor back in the 1960’s. His pastor had the audacity to take the gospel seriously and include people of all races in his church. This set off a “storm” in the church. The pastor was working at the church on a Saturday, and his member came by to give him advice, “Just stop trying to bring all people into our church and we won’t cause a storm of controversy.”
Paul was a prisoner on his way to Rome when they ran into the storm. He did not wave his hands to make the storm go away. Instead, Paul trusted in God’s promise to get him and the others safely to shore. He encouraged them by saying, “I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.” The ship itself was lost, but God kept his promise to Paul getting him to Rome to proclaim the gospel. Do we believe Paul’s words? Do we have the faith that God will keep his promises to us?
My Pastor friend said to his church leader, “You can be right in the center of God’s will and find yourself in a storm.” No doubt, doing wrong can get us into trouble. But doing right does not exempt us from trouble. If you find yourself in a storm, be assured of this, you will not be alone in the storm. One of my favorite phrases in the Bible says, “It came to pass . . .” Medical crises and financial crises will pass eventually. God has not abandoned his people in this time of global pandemic. His promises are true. His words will not fail. Let us take God at his word today and trust him to get us safely to shore, through the storm.
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Pray with me:
Father, “your promise still stands, great is your faithfulness. We are still in your hands, great is your faithfulness.” Help us to trust you when all around us threatens us. Let us do the right things by loving our neighbors, all of our neighbors every day. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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Join us in memorizing the Word. Scripture for this week:
Matthew 6:7-8
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
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| Our 2020 Every Day with Jesus readings will follow the Foundations New Testament reading plan. Copies of the reading plan are available at Tallowood Baptist Church, or download your copy at REPLICATE.ORG
We would love for you to join us as we read the New Testament through this year, five chapters a week. In addition I will continue my long-standing practice of reading one Psalm a day through the year. Use Robby Gallaty’s H. E. A. R. plan to study each chapter (also found at REPLICATE.ORG). Highlight verses which speak to you, explain what they mean in your own words in a journal, apply them to your own life, then respond by doing what God tells you to do.
Joyfully,
Duane
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