God constantly provides for you in very ordinary, often unnoticeable ways.
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Acts 27 Summary
After testifying before the pompously eccentric King Agrippa, who along with the Roman governor Festus found Paul innocent, Paul is shipped to Rome since he had appealed to Caesar.
The centurion who takes custody of Paul shows him kindness, but since it's late in the sailing season, the ship runs into fierce storms. Luke paints an awesome picture of the mighty struggle it was to sail in a massive storm.
Paul is able to keep the morale of the crew and passengers up by sharing the hope that God had communicated to him.
This chapter ends with the ship destroyed but all of the passengers safe, just as God had promised to Paul.
Dig Deeper
Think back on previous sea-storm accounts in the Bible. Jonah comes right to mind, as does the story of Jesus sleeping through the storm, and then later walking on the water in the midst of a storm.
In those accounts, the danger suddenly and miraculously abates through divine intervention.
But in chapter 27, there is no such miracle. God is with the crew & passengers for sure; none of them were lost.
Interestingly, although their survival was certainly a miracle, notice how God used ordinary means to work out their rescue:
Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men [the sailors] stay in the ship, you cannot be saved." (v31)
You will likely never see a miracle like Jonah or the disciples saw, but know that God is at work in this world and in your life, even through the ordinary events that take place.
Yet God allowed this storm to continue, the cargo to be lost, and the ship to be wrecked. Just because various storms continue to rage in your life, it's no indication that God has abandoned you.
AAA Prayer:
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: The God of land and sea whom you 'belong to.' (v23)
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Even when it appears all is lost (v26 - nevertheless, we must run aground...), pray that God will preserve your faith and cause you to cling to His will.
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
