June 11 - Acts 27: Don't Give Up...Take Heart

We boarded a ship from Adramyttium that was bound for Ephesus and ports west. (27:2) 

We ran into bad weather and found it impossible to stay on course. (27:5) 

Paul warned, "I see only disaster ahead for cargo and ship - to say nothing of our lives! - if we put out to sea now." (27:10) 

The centurion set Paul's warning aside and let the ship captain and the shipowner talk him into trying for the next harbor. (27:12) 

They lost all control of the ship. It was a cork in the storm. (27:15) 

It had been many days since we had seen either sun or stars. Wind and waves were battering us unmercifully, and we lost all hope of rescue. (27:20)

It was into this horrific experience that God spoke to Paul through an angel, encouraging him.

Don't give up, Paul...dear friends, take heart. (27:24, 25)

And from that encounter with his Lord, Paul was able to speak hopefully to 276 people in their near-death experience. He didn't sugarcoat the reality of the danger - we're going to shipwreck on some island or another (27:26) - yet he demonstrated his trust in God in the midst of the very tense situation. I believe God will do exactly what he told me. (27:26)

I keep reminding myself that following God does not guarantee a life of smooth sailing. In fact, God's Word promises trials and difficulties. (James 1:2) Paul's experiences are vivid examples of that truth, so why do I continue to be surprised when life goes crazy and nothing happens as I expect it to?

"Everything we consider a loss can be a chance to discover God at the center, to realize the preciousness of life itself, of love unencumbered by lust and pride and greed. The Voice keeps arriving in the midst of terror and disaster and hopelessness: "Don't give up...take heart." Eugene Peterson, Conversations, pg. 1734

God shows me time and again that He is my Peace in this fallen world. (John 14:27) He is my Rock and my Refuge when the storms of life are raging. (Psalm 18:2) He is my Savior when I am in danger of being shipwrecked and have lost all hope of rescue. (John 4:42)

But nothing is as it seems. I am not alone when things are going well or when things are going awry. (Matthew 28:20) I am not tossed about aimlessly with no anchor to hold me. (Hebrews 6:19) Christ is with me. He is in me. And He continues to show up in the midst of terror an disaster and hopelessness. (John 14:16-17)

"You are not alive in this world in order to experience Me or to enjoy the blessings of a comfortable life...Your purpose until you die is to reveal a new attitude toward suffering and a new agenda in prayer that flows out of your new purpose in life that makes sense only if you claim your new hope of resurrection." 66 LL

I'm left wondering, as my Faithful and True God continues to show up for me, what will it take for me in turn to speak hope into others' shipwreck experiences? How can I encourage them to not give up, to take heart, that He is near? How can I comfort others with the comfort that I've received? (2 Corinthians 1:4)