Begin with two minutes of stillness and silence before God.

Yesterday, we walked through the beginning of Paul’s voyage to Rome.  We left off with Paul warning the officers not to continue the journey because a storm was approaching.  The officers ignored Paul’s guidance. We will pick back up in verse 13.  “When a light wind began blowing from the south, the sailors thought they could make it…” Then verse 14 says, “But the weather changed abruptly…”.  I love this ironic style that Luke writes in because of its intentionality.  When we have ignored the guidance God has given us, our flesh tries to give us a false sense of security, and then that storm we have been trying to ignore comes at us abruptly.

As we continue, Luke describes in detail the severity of this storm.  Verse 20 says, “The terrible storm raged for many days, blotting out the sun and stars, until finally all hope was gone.”  I know that we have all experienced storms in our lives like this that make us feel that all our hope is gone.  This is another lie our flesh will tell us.  But friends, this is still the beginning of the story!  If we keep reading verse 21,  Paul says today’s equivalent of, “I told you so”.   As Paul continues in verse 23, he tells everyone on board the ship that an angel of God appeared to him last night.  The angel told Paul that he would stand trial before Caesar and everyone on the boat would be granted passage.  As this storm rages on, the officers and other prisoners on board continue to be in a panic, but Paul stays calm and tells everyone to eat.  And as Paul breaks the bread, he gives thanks to the Lord!  This encouraged everyone, but the officers were still in a panic. The ship was ultimately destroyed, and the officers wanted to kill the prisoners to prevent them from escaping.  The commanding officer wanted to spare Paul, so he commanded them to not enact their plan, and everyone safely escaped to shore.

There is so much wisdom to gleam in the story of Paul’s voyage.  There are a few things I do not want us to miss.  First, we need to realize that in our walk with Christ, we WILL face storms. But I see Paul representing our spirit.  In the midst of the storm, Paul had faith in the promises of God.  Although we will face storms, we are not facing them alone.  The Lord is with us always, and the Spirit of the Lord will remind us of this promise.  Second, even though they were amid the storm and their anxiety kept them from eating, Paul reminded them of the importance of sustainability through eating bread.  The same goes for us, although we may be in the middle of a storm, God wants us to rely on Him to be sustained.  In all things, God calls us to be in relationship with Him - because he loves us!  During every storm, He is with you and will sustain you.

Take two minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• What are some storms you are currently facing?
  
• What promises has the Lord given you to face this storm?
  
• In what ways are you sustaining yourself during the storms?
  
•  Prayer: Lord, during every storm, remind me of who You are and what You have promised me.  Teach me to seek You during the storm so I may be sustained. In Jesus' name, Amen.