Acts 27:27–44

Be still: Here I am, Lord. Please meet with me today. Amen

Read: Acts 27:27–44

After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. Then they were all encouraged and ate some food themselves. (v35–36)

Encounter: Woah! This chapter reads like the most dramatic film script. Heart-stopping, terrifying tension — in deep darkness, ship rolling, waves pounding on rocks, crashing over the boat, screams and shouts, imminent shipwreck.

And there will always be some who will try to save themselves at the expense of others. The sailors' sneaky plan to lower the lifeboat and escape is doomed when Paul orders the soldiers to cut the ropes. Desperate but caught out, how much those sailors must have hated Paul!

But Paul knows God's plan – if all stay on board, all will be saved.

Then, even while it's still pitch dark, the boat knocked about by wind and waves, Paul has breakfast! He says grace and yells to everyone above the noise of the hurricane that after fourteen days of terror, none of them has eaten enough to survive what's ahead – and survive they will. So, eat! And they do.

What happens next is astonishing! Ship smashes on rocks; men jumping, swimming, clutching planks and debris, make for the shore. And as the sun comes up, every one of them is standing on the beach, their ship and cargo lost, but they are safe, uninjured. As God through Paul had promised: Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.'

Apply: So many lessons to learn through all this – ask the Spirit which is most important for you to take away today.

Here are a few to ponder: 

— Paul giving thanks while the storm still raged.

— What they depended on for their well-being, the ship, its anchors, their possessions, proved inadequate; God alone brought them through.

— The importance of being 'nourished' by the Spirit before leaping into action.

— God values integrity.

— God speaks into our crises.

— Sometimes we have to go through the storms and may lose what we have valued, but God is unstoppable in preserving what is truly important: his life and purposes in us.

Devote: Lord, thank you I am safe in your eternal life.