First, they had to let go and be driven along, striving to keep some semblance of control of the swaying dinghy and battening the hatches, but it was increasingly difficult. They dropped the sea anchor and took down the sails trying to slow things down, but it wasn’t working. Then the next day overboard went the ship’s valuable cargo, and the next day the ship’s tackle. You know you’ve abandoned all hope when you throw over what you need to sail the ship! Fear and panic constantly gripped them, harder than they did the nearest rail. In the end, they could only look on in horror. They ate nothing for the stretch of fourteen days since they left Fair Havens. They saw neither the sun nor stars.
21 When they had gone a long time without food, then Paul stood up in their midst and said, “Men, you ought to have followed my advice and not to have set sail from Crete and incurred this damage and loss. 22 Yet now I urge you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me, 24 saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.’ 25 Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told. 26 But we must run aground on a certain island.” Acts 27:21–26
Invariably, in the midst of the storms of life, you’ll get the lecture from someone on how you went wrong. But there is a constant in tragic times, and that is the steadying voice of God if you’ll listen.
33 Until the day was about to dawn, Paul was encouraging them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have been constantly watching and going without eating, having taken nothing. 34 Therefore I encourage you to take some food, for this is for your preservation, for not a hair from the head of any of you will perish.” 35 Having said this, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of all, and he broke it and began to eat. 36 All of them were encouraged and they themselves also took food. Acts 27:33–36
The men in the boat had been blessed by Paul’s presence, who encouraged them to eat and to hope in his certain fate, to get to Rome. What a solace these words were, at least temporarily, as was a bit of food. This is when you hear the prayer uttered, but you don’t have one yourself.
In a last ditch effort, thinking they were getting closer to land, they took soundings, and it appeared they were. Some had the brilliant idea to board the ship’s dinghy under the guise of attempting to set additional anchors to the bow, but really to escape. Quickly, Paul warned that these men would certainly die if they left the “safe confines” of the ship, and the plot was foiled by cutting the line.
Soon they would indeed run aground and the vessel began to rip apart. The soldiers’ instinct to kill the prisoners lest they escape was squashed by the centurion and the command was given to all who could to swim to do so, and to those who couldn’t, to grab a plank and float in. In the end, amazingly, none of the 276 persons on board were lost.
What should not be lost on us is the real-time fulfillment of prophecy. Conditions for Paul to make it to Rome were still in tack. That no one lost their lives came true. That they came to rest “on a certain island,” was apparent (Malta). That they all really needed the fuel Paul encouraged them to consume was obvious. If we learn nothing else from this account, it is “all the promises of God are true.”
For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us. 2 Corinthians 1:20
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