TAKE HEART
Acts 27:21-25
But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me.
No one could ever say that Paul lived a boring life. He had adventures around every corner, but they were not Disney adventures. In this chapter Paul is on a ship in the middle of a massive storm that has left everyone hopeless. People are not eating the sun is not shining and it appears to be the end. Paul had issued a warning before starting the journey that it was not going to end well but who listens to a preacher who’s a prisoner?
But there are times it pays to have someone on board who belongs to God and serves God. Paul reminded the people that he had warned them not to sail. He told them they should have listened. I don’t believe Paul was trying to rub their error in their faces. I believe he wanted them to pay attention to what he was going to say next.
Take heart because no one is going to die. Paul did tell them they would lose the ship but at this point living would outweigh the loss. And I like how Paul described the interaction with the angel. He said that “an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve” stood by him. There is quite a lot in that description. Paul belonged to God and served God. That’s a double identification. Belonging to God because He bought Paul with the price of His Son. And serving God because that was a choice made from Paul’s free will. But that choice produced extra confidence in Paul. Paul had a strong connection with God.
The angel delivered the message to Paul that he was not to be afraid. In God’s big scheme of things Paul had to appear before Caesar so he was going to make it to Rome. And the bonus was that God granted to Paul those who were sailing with him. You have to love the fact that all these people, most of whom were not believers, were spared because of Paul.
So, because of the angel’s message Paul could take heart and so could those who were traveling with him. Paul believed that it was going to happen exactly as God told him. I can only imagine that for those sailing with Paul this was the only ray of hope they had. What a blessing to have a man connected to God on board.
APPLICATION
So many lessons here. It pays to listen to those people who have walked with God for years. It is immensely helpful to hear from God in the middle of a difficult situation. When we do hear from the Lord it pays to believe. And this believing gives us the courage to go on even when things don’t appear to be changing. Also, there will be people in our lives who get mercy and are spared because we are “in the boat with them.”
After Paul’s encouraging word the storm did not let up. But things turned out exactly as God said. Everyone lived, the boat did not make it, but Paul arrived in Rome. We may not be in the middle of such a dramatic storm or ever see an angel. But we all experience the storms of life and God can still get His message of hope to us. He is still the same God today as He was in Paul’s day. So, take heart.