Shipwrecked but Saved
This week we will continue to follow Paul through the record of his journeys in the book of Acts. In Acts 27, Paul is a prisoner on a ship on the way to Rome. The ship sailed into a severe storm and was caught in the storm for many days. The situation became dire, and they began to throw cargo overboard. No one was eating and they became convinced they were not going to survive. An angel appeared to Paul and assured him they would arrive safely, and Paul passed on the message to the others, offering hope and instructions.
“Therefore I urge you to take some food, for this is important for your survival. For not one of you will lose a hair from his head.” After he said this, Paul took bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all, broke it, and began to eat. So all of them were encouraged and took food themselves. . . .
When day came, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. So they slipped the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the linkage that bound the steering oars together. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and steered toward the beach. But they encountered a patch of crosscurrents and ran the ship aground; the bow stuck fast and could not be moved, but the stern was being broken up by the force of the waves. Now the soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners so that none of them would escape by swimming away. But the centurion, wanting to save Paul’s life, prevented them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land, and the rest were to follow, some on planks and some on pieces of the ship. And in this way all were brought safely to land.”
Acts 27:34-36, 39-44 NET
After many days of battling extreme conditions, God revealed to Paul that all would be saved. However, they were still shipwrecked. They still had to swim ashore. They would be saved, they knew the end of the story, but they had to continue to struggle to survive. What jumps out here is that the saving didn’t exclude the shipwreck. In addition, neither the shipwreck nor the soldiers' fear of escaping prisoners could alter God’s plan to save every person on board. God said all would be saved and all were saved.
This is so important to remember as we face the storms of life. We know the end of the story if we have placed our faith in Jesus. We can confidently go forward without fear, knowing we are saved. But, and this can be a big one if we are not prepared, the saving won’t always avoid the shipwreck. The saving may not avoid the health challenge, or the financial challenge, or the relational challenge.
How can we proceed well in faith, calm in the shipwreck, confident we are saved? How did Paul do it?
Paul kept the main thing the main thing. Paul was in it for God and not for himself. Paul stayed focused on God’s plan, he stayed in communication with God and he trusted God. The shipwreck wasn't a disaster for Paul because getting to Rome wasn’t Paul’s plan, it was God’s plan. When you are working off God’s agenda, disasters become opportunities for God to show up and show off. And when we can look at shipwrecks as opportunities, we are keeping the main thing the main thing.