There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy, and he put us aboard it. When we had sailed slowly for a good many days, and with difficulty had arrived off Cnidus, since the wind did not permit us to go farther, we sailed under the shelter of Crete, off Salmone; and with difficulty sailing past it we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea. When considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous, since even the fast was already over, Paul began to admonish them, and said to them, “Men, I perceive that the voyage will certainly be with damage and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” But the centurion was more persuaded by the pilot and the captain of the ship than by what was being said by Paul. Because the harbor was not suitable for wintering, the majority reached a decision to put out to sea from there, if somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. When a moderate south wind came up, supposing that they had attained their purpose, they weighed anchor and began sailing along Crete, close inshore. Acts 27:6-13
Instead of wintering in Fair Havens as Paul recommended (Acts 27:10), the “majority,” i.e., the centurion, pilot, and ship owner, chose to brave 40 more miles of unpredictable seas in hopes of reaching Phoenix, perceived to be a more suitable harbor and city. It is ironic that they chose to move on from a harbor called “Fair Havens,” so adequately described by its name. It wasn’t the best harbor in which to anchor, nor did the port city of Lasea seem capable of accommodating the 276 passengers on board, but considering the circumstances, they should have made it work. The odds were clearly against them on the high seas. Nevertheless, buoyed by a momentary favorable wind, they weighed anchor and forged ahead.
But before very long there rushed down from the land a violent wind, called Euraquilo; and when the ship was caught in it and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and let ourselves be driven along. Acts 27:14-15
A safe or conservative decision can be counted on to face strong criticism. There are those who are foolhardy or impatient who resist a cautionary delay. Then there are the “super spiritual” who want to pray their way through, presuming “God will make a way.” After all, it’s a “mission” trip!
However, in this case Paul was advised by both Luke, who knew well the dangers of the sea, and the Lord, who had calmed them! It appears He provided “fair” accommodations to ride out the winter. It was there for the taking. Why not entrust God to find quarters for 276 souls rather than to overtake an unsuspected “violent wind.” He can do both, sure, but he’s the one who pinned Fair Havens along their course!
What’s normally lacking in these cases is not a thorough risk assessment of the choices available, but simply, prayer. The only one who seemed tapped into God was Paul (and Luke and Aristarchus). It may seem trite, but as my wife is fond of saying, “Have you prayed about it?”
It’s heartening though to read on and see that it ended as well as it could given the full manifestation of Paul’s warning. God is gracious. But it’s important to note God was just following through on his promise and intent to place Paul before the Emperor. That should give one pause to reflect. The decision makers at the time chose to ignore clear prophetic instructions and lost everything but their lives. Is it not safe to say they would have finally arrived at their destination safe and sound with the stopover at Fair Havens?
This account is something to think seriously about, yet stopping short of etching a methodology for emergency management in stone. Most of us don’t have the Apostle Paul around to ask what he thinks.
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