Always Believe God

Transcript

GR1636
4-1-12
Always Believe God
Acts 27:1-26
Gil Rugh

We are coming to the end of the book of Acts. We come to the next to the last chapter with chapter 27. As we follow the life and ministry of Paul, particularly picking up with chapter 13, his conversion occurred in chapter 9, remember but in chapter 13 he began those great missionary trips where he carried the Gospel out into the Gentile parts of the world and fulfilled his commission by God to be the apostle to the Gentiles.

We follow the life of the apostle Paul and we are reminded that one of the realities of life, the reality of life for a believer, even is difficulty and trial. Some are the normal experiences of life. Some are compounded by the fact that we bare testimony for the Savior who has been rejected by an unbelieving world but the reality of it is we live in a fallen world and trouble is part of life. We go through times that seem relatively trouble free. We go through other times where it seems our troubles all but overwhelm us. We think of the book of Job when we think of troubles and trials. One of Jobs friends, as we call him, Eliphaz, made the observation in Job 5:7: “For man is born for trouble, as the sparks fly upward.” There is reality in that. Job himself in Job 14:1 put it this way: “Man, who is born of woman, is short-lived and full of turmoil.” That in spite of the fact, God’s testimony on behalf of Job was he was His servant. “Have you considered My servant, Job?” “There is no one like him on the earth.” What a testimony. Almighty God who knows everyone and everything about everyone testifies to Job: “There is no one like him on the face of the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.” But that does not make him immune from suffering and trial. The main that came from losing his children of losing his wealth, his health, his friends even accusing him, misunderstanding what was going on in his life, a life of pain and difficulty and trial.

You are in Acts, keep your marker there and come over to the book of James, all the way toward the back of the New Testament just after Hebrews we have James. James, chapter 1, verse 2: “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials; knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” That reminder, that the trials and difficulties, those of all kinds in verse 2 when he says: “When you encounter various trials,” multifaceted, multicolored trials, all kinds of trials, we realize that God has a purpose in bringing them into our lives. They develop character, we would say. They strengthen us. They produce in us endurance so that we continue to develop more into conformity with Christ.

Down in James chapter 1, verse 12: “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trail, for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” Trials are part of God’s plan for our lives. That doesn’t mean that God doesn’t bless us, that there are times when our lives are relatively trial free we might say. We are to realize that all of the difficulty, all the obstacles and all of the suffering are part of God’s plan.

Come back to Acts 27. The Apostle Paul’s life is one trial after another, great blessing. I mean, he was used mightily of God to carry the Gospel to the Gentile parts of the world as well as to impact Jews but it is a life of difficulty. It is a life of trouble. We come to chapter 27 and you remember that Paul is a prisoner of Rome. This has gone on not for days, not for weeks, not for months but for years. Two years have passed since he was arrested. No good reason for it, humanly speaking. He is an innocent man. Again and again the testimony has been both from the Roman leaders and from a Jewish leader, King Agrippa the second, he is innocent. He hasn’t done anything wrong but he is a prisoner of Rome. And so, when we left chapter 26, verse 31 and this is when King Agrippa having heard Paul and as with him, his sister, Bernice and the Roman governor, Festus, their testimony at the end of verse 31: “This man is not doing anything worthy of death or imprisonment.” But he has appealed to Caesar and this is God’s plan. We talked about the providence of God. The wickedness of man, the unfairness, unjustness, lack of justice in dealing with Paul doesn’t frustrate God’s plan. It carries God’s plan forward for Paul. He is going to Caesar we will see in chapter 27 the hand of God is upon him and God’s going to tell Paul, “You must go to Caesar.” That means you can be in a shipwreck in the middle of the sea but you can’t die there because you have to go and testify before Caesar. You see the sovereign hand of God in all of the circumstances and all the situations on life.

So we begin chapter 27 and we are going to move on in the trip. Paul’s in Caesarea, about 60 miles north of Jerusalem on the coast, a seaport. So, we open chapter 21, Paul has been two years as a prisoner of Rome with false accusations. Now he is going to be transported to Rome. So chapter 27 opens up: “When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, they proceeded to deliver Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Agustan cohort named Julius.” You will note here “when it was decided that we would sail for Italy…” Luke is the writer here. He is going to travel with Paul, Luke the beloved physician. How gracious God is to have Paul have a personal physician travel with him. He would be a great comfort and a great help and of course Luke being a strong spiritual servant of the Lord.

Now this is the longest “we” section in the book of Acts. There are four “we” sections. This is longest beginning in chapter 27 and it will go into chapter 28 which indicates Luke was with him. Back in chapter 16 there was such a section; back in chapter 20 and again in chapter 21. So Luke has, if you will, come in and out of Paul’s life. He’s been with Paul on occasion and then for whatever reason, Paul journeys on and Luke stays behind or they separate for one reason or another and God takes them on to different ministry, but now he joins the party that is going to go with Paul as a prisoner here, not condemned. Paul does the right to have someone travel with him. Interesting in those days you know now it’s, if you were a prisoner of a certain place, their responsibility was to take care of you and provide for you but in those days you had to make your own provisions and so Paul here is blessed not only to have Luke, but he is going to have also Aristarchus travel with him. We will see him in a moment. They tell you the name of the centurion in charge. A Roman centurion, a centurion over 100 soldiers, he has the responsibility to transport the prisoner to Rome. They embark on a ship. There are no ships that go directly from Caesarea to Italy so they are going to take a ship that will take them across to Asia Minor, make several stops. These are sailing vessels, merchant ships transporting good, picking up goods so they are going to go over to the coast of Asia Minor.

Why don’t you put the map up there? We will get an idea of how Paul is going. Here is Jerusalem; here is Caesarea over on the coast. They are going to go up and they will stop at Sidon then the ship is going to go across and will be making some stops here and come around and down and ultimately coming up here to Rome. You get an idea of how he is going here. The route gets adjusted because of the weather conditions as you may well remember. Verse 2: “And embarking in an Adramyttian ship, which was about to sail to the regions along the coast of Asia, we put out to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica.” Here is a faithful servant of the Lord. You know faithful because later when Paul was in Rome remember he’s going to spend about a year making his trip there and then two more years in prison by the time we come to the end of the book of Acts so a total of about five years as a prisoner. But while Paul is in Rome, when he finally arrives in Rome and is a prisoner there, during that time he writes a letter to the Colossians and during that time he says that Aristarchus is his fellow prisoner in Colossians chapter 4 verse 10 that he is joined there with him, accompanying Paul, joined with Paul in his imprisonment even though no indication there that Aristarchus is himself a prisoner. He has chosen to stay with Paul and accompany him, stay with him so he is a faithful servant. Over time we find him faithfully staying with Paul. It would have been a great comfort. He is from Thessalonica in Macedonian.

Verse 3: “The next day we put in at Sidon…” So, a short trip up the coast there to Sidon, they would be stopping there, stay, take off cargo, put on cargo and make their way. In a normal sailing season with good weather it would be about a five week trip from Caesarea going to Rome. Now it is going to take Paul a lot longer than that because of the troubles that are going to be set them. Julius, remember the Roman cohort in charge of Paul, his prisoner, treated Paul with consideration and allowed him to go to his friends and receive care.” So, they lay in here, they might have been overnight while they are adding cargo, taking off cargo. This commander has full trust in Paul. He allows him to go visit his friends which is something for a Roman commander here because he is responsible for the prisoner but he has evidently, confidence in Paul. He treats him consideration, allows him to visit his friends and Paul would have had friends all along the way having traveled in these parts of the world several times. Then they put “out to sea and sailed under the shelter of Cyprus because the winds were contrary.” So traveling here and you have protection from the winds out here as they move along they are coming up here to Myra. “When we had sailed through the sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia.” So traveling along, not much to say, what’s going on, on the ship, what happens in some of these places but here at Myra there is a change.

Verse 6: “There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy, and he put us aboard it.” So what you have here is coming up from Egypt here; Egypt is the breadbasket for Rome in these days so there was a whole fleet organization here. Rome guaranteed the ships, ensured the cargos, those kinds of things because the wheat from Egypt would be transported up here and then transported over to Rome so they find an Alexandrian ship from Alexandria in Egypt that would be going to Italy. Remember they are on a ship. There is no direct ship from Caesarea so that ship from Caesarea would not be going that far. It’s just in this reason. Alright, so now he is on another ship that is bound for Italy. “We sailed slowly for a good many days, and with difficulty, since the wind did not permit us to go further; we sailed under the shelter of Crete, off Salmone.” So you can see here where we are over here; Salmone here, this is the island of Crete. They are having trouble with the winds. You are in a sailing ship, you are at the mercy of the winds and they are sailing slowly. There is no good wind to move the ship along. What do you do? You just go as long as it takes. They travelled a good many days and since the wind, they can’t follow a course they drop down under the shelter of Crete “and with difficulty sailing past it we came to a certain place called Fair Havens; near which was the city of Lasea.” So making their way along. They are now at Fair Haven. It is not just good sailing time.

We see God in control of the weather. I mean, this is amazing to me. One man of great importance here, the man Paul, a prisoner on a grain ship. God is controlling the weather, the blowing of the wind because He is directing this servant. A God this powerful, why didn’t he just have Paul go to Rome? Well, we have seen the opportunities Paul has had to bare testimony before rulers. We haven’t seen any conversion among those rulers but God’s purpose was that Paul would bear testimony before them. So, they proceed on. They come to Fair Havens.

Verse 9 and 10: “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 attended with damage and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” There is going to be a change in this because God is going to tell him later that He will spare the lives. At this point, Paul knows disaster is before them if they proceed. What has happened is that they are getting late in the sailing season. The winds weren’t good. They have delayed their stay at Fair Havens. You are in a sailing ship basically sailing and the Mediterranean is going to shut down around November and be closed through the winter months. It is just not a safe place to be sailing. So we are told we have an idea of the time of year hear because verse 9 says” “When considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous, since even the Fast was already over.” This refers to the Day of Atonement. That would be some time toward the end of September, the beginning of October when the Day of Atonement would have occurred. So we are getting late in the sailing season here. I wrote down here from November 11 to March 10 the Mediterranean was considered closed to shipping. Now they have already had trouble with the weather and the wind. Now they are late in the season and they are already getting near when the Mediterranean has no shipping going on there and what happens if bad weather comes early? God has revealed to Paul that if they leave it’s going to be a disastrous trip.

You know, the Apostle Paul. I wonder what kind of conversation he had in his prayer time with the Lord. Paul has already written 2 Corinthians by the time this trip has occurred and in 2 Corinthians chapter 11, verse 25, already before this time Paul said, “Three times I was ship wrecked. A night and a day I have spent in the deep.” Paul had already experienced three ship wrecks; already floated in the sea as the result of a ship wreck for a night and a day evidently holding onto wreckage. These things we don’t know any details about. One ship wreck I would have been a land-man; two, no doubt about it. Three, Paul is facing the fourth and he knows it will be disastrous. He assumes there will be loss of lives. Verse 10: “I perceive that the voyage will certainly with damage and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” God is going to intervene directly here but Paul’s knowledge, however it came to him at this point, is accurate. There is going to be lost, everything but the lives of those on board by the grace of God. So Paul tells them. You see that he has influence here, the ability to speak. He is a man of experience. I mean how many times has he sailed in the Mediterranean? We have no count. We know he was ship wrecked three times already so he has probably been here many times. He knows about travel here so he gives them his advice. “Don’t proceed, it will be disastrous.”

But, verse 11: “The centurion was more persuaded by the pilot and the captain of the ship…, [perhaps the owner here, the word translated captain would be the owner which would not be unusual that he would be traveling on the ship but these, the centurion, the pilot, the captain now the centurion could have exercised authority here, evidently, but he thinks that the pilot, captain and the owner, they think we can make it so they are persuaded that it’s safe and we can pursue on because this is not the best harbor to winter in. You’ve got to understand that day’s travel is a lot more tedious. I mean we are talking about now sitting here for months and they didn’t think this was the best harbor. You look for a harbor that protected you most completely from the storm and even though you are in the harbor if it is not a secure harbor the storm could destroy the ship in the harbor so they are thinking this wouldn’t be our first choice as a place to ride out the winter. I mean we are going to be here November, December, January, February into March, five, six months go by here and now we’ve got to ride out the winter, I think we would be better to go to a more suitable harbor.

So verse 12: “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 spent the winter there. And when a moderate wind came up, supposing that they had gained their purpose, they weighed anchor and began sailing along Crete, close inshore.” So you know all you have to do is go from here to here. That is 40 miles. We will hug along the coast, stay close to the coast 40 miles, and we will make it in less than a day. The wind is good now; we’ve got a favorable wind we will jump on that. There is a much better harbor here at Phoenix to go for the winter so they anchor and here they go.

I wonder what is going on in Paul’s mind. Here I go again. “When a moderate south wind came up, supposing that they had gained their purpose, they weighed anchor and began sailing along Crete, close inshore. But before very long there, rushed down from the land a violent wind, called Euraquilo.” And that means northeaster. They talked about up in New England you get a northeaster that brings the violent storm well here, they are getting a northeaster and it comes down and catches the ship. Verse 15 and 16: “It could not face the wind, we gave way to it, and let ourselves be driven along under the shelter of a small island called Clauda. We were scarcely able to get the ship’s boat under control.” Now what happens here is they would be pulling a dingy kind of boat. That would be what they used when they had to go into shore. This is a larger boat.

I wrote down these boats could be large. We are going to see there are 276 people on this ship plus all the grain and everything. One Roman writer wrote of the ship at that time carrying stuff like this one 180 feet long, 45 feet wide and 43 ½ feet tall. So it would be a sizeable ship but they are totally at the mercy of the wind. Now you’ve got a northeaster blowing. Everything is out of control. What do you do? The wind is in control of the ship so they are just allowing themselves to blown along. “After they had hoisted it up, [what they do is they take that dingy that they had been towing and they bring it up, raise it up, bring it up out of the water and secure it along the ship like we would see hanging up there along the ship because they need that if they are going to get into land.] “They used supporting cables in undergirding the ship.” What they did there are a variety of ways to do that. We don’t know which way but basically they would one way or the other would wrap ropes around the ship. This would be a task because you’ve got to get the rope down and around and under the ship there. What they are doing is tying it up because these are wood ships. They don’t want it to be pulled apart in the storm so they are securing it down. We get an idea of the violence going on here. This way they help keep the ship from being torn apart. So you can see they are really in serious trouble. They are also concerned, verse 17: “Fearing they might run aground on the shallows of Syrtis, they let down the sea anchor, in this way they let themselves be driven along.” The sea anchor, they would use it as a drag, try to slow down because you’ve got this fierce wind driving the ship along. You don’t want to be just driven up on the rocky ground, the ship tears apart and then you are in trouble. That is going to happen. But for now, they are dragging anchor, trying to keep the ship under more control here not just be driven so violently along.

But, verse 18: “The next day as we were being violently storm-tossed, they began to jettison the cargo.” Now things are serious. This is a cargo ship and its bringing wheat to Rome but now we are not going to make it so now the cargo becomes expendable so they start to jettison a lot of the cargo. What they are trying to do is lighten the ship so to ride higher in the water because you know, you’ve got this violence, you’ve got these waves crashing over so you lighten the ship “And on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands.” Some say this could even include in storms like this the main mast and stuff like this. We’ve got to do whatever now. You can’t up the sail anyway. We are in serious trouble. We have to get rid of all the extraneous stuff. The ship’s tackle now goes overboard. They did it with their own hands. Everybody is involved. Imagine Paul here you know the detail is not here. We are being told about this but the Apostle Paul is caught up in all of this. The Lord in one way or another had made known to him the disaster awaited the ship if it left port but when the leaders in control of the ship decide to leave port Paul is caught up in the disaster too. He is on this ship being tossed here and there.

I went deep sea fishing once while we lived on the east coast with a man my father worked with. He liked to fish so he wanted to take me out deep sea fishing. We went out in the ocean and you know the land disappears and you are out there and that boat won’t stop moving. Oh, was I sick. This is fun? Oh man, my brother was with me but I am telling you.

What’s Paul like here? He is an experienced sailor. You can call him that, experienced, ship wrecked but boy he is part of it. He’s got to be a part of the disaster overtaking the ship. As far as he knows at this point it is going to result in the destruction of the ship and the loss of the lives on the ship. So here he is, joining in.

Verse 20: Luke paints the picture here because Luke is here. You might begin to think, hanging around with Paul isn’t the best thing for your health. “Since neither sun nor stars appeared for many days.” Now remember, these are days how did they know where they were? They looked to the sun, they looked to the stars. They haven’t seen the stars or the sun for days. It’s been so dark and cloudy and stormy day and night they don’t have any idea where they are. “No small storm was assailing us.” I mean, it just won’t stop. “From then on all hope of our being saved was gradually abandoned.” They had given up. There is no hope of us making it. We are being pounded. We don’t know where we are. We can’t control the ship. We’ve thrown everything we can except for some food overboard. That will come here in a little bit. So they are waiting. “When they had gone a long time without food, then Paul stood up in their midst and he said…” Now here you have the storm, the ship driven, everybody in display and here’s this little Jewish Roman prisoner stands up, “I have something to say.” Speaking out they are probably huddled in a place the best they can. Paul addresses them. The first thing he says: “Men, you ought to have followed my advice and not to have set sail form Crete, and incurred this damage and loss.” I mean, it’s obvious they have already the ship suffered great damage already. They’ve already thrown cargo over. They’ve thrown the tackle of the ship over. There has already been significant loss. “You should have paid attention.” Now he does that not just to goad them but so they will listen now to what he has to say. “You didn’t listen before, basically listen now. “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.” Now there is fuller, clearer revelation here. When it was made known to Paul that if they sailed out they would suffer loss Paul assumed that would include loss of life on the ship but God is going to spare the lives. You are only going to lose the ship that would mean everything but the people on the ship. How does he know this? “For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me.” You know, this is remarkable. Here’s a man caught up in everything the unbelievers around him are caught up in only worse, he’s a prisoner. He’s a Roman prisoner, has been for over a couple of years now. He’s caught up on a ship that everybody thinks is going to go down and there is no hope of escape and now he stands up and says “an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve.” That is Paul’s confidence in it all. This is the God to whom I belong. We are all in the same boat together but I belong to the God who is controlling the storm. This is the God that I serve. His angel stood before me and said, “Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar.” I mean, God’s sovereignty is just amazing. Here you are on a ship that’s been battered and beaten and still in the storm and the seasoned sailors have given up hope and God says to Paul, “You must stand before Caesar.” What does that mean? You can’t go down with the ship. “Behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.” Perhaps Paul has been praying. Maybe that has brought about the change that God would be gracious and spare the lives of these people because it says, “God has granted all those who are sailing with you.” Their survival depends upon Paul. It is because Paul belongs to God and serves God and God is sending him to Caesar Paul can’t go down and in an expanded act of grace Paul will spare the other lives that are on the ship as well.

You see the complete, sovereign control of God. Did Paul give up here? You know, I thought I was going to Rome. God told me I was going to Rome but I guess I am not going to Rome. Maybe I made a mistake. Maybe I shouldn’t have gone to Jerusalem. Maybe I shouldn’t have taken the collection. Maybe I shouldn’t of… maybe what? Everything is under control. I walk with the God whom I serve. I belong to Him. I serve Him. He told me, “Don’t be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar, you must stand before Caesar.” That is God’s plan.

You say, “Well God, if You are so in control, why didn’t you just send me to Rome, have somebody, You could have worked out the circumstances and I could have been in before Caesar. I’ve got to be arrested, imprisoned for years, be out on a stormy sea in a ship that is being destroyed by the storm and You send an angel to tell me I must appear before Caesar. It doesn’t seem like the best way to do it.” We don’t find that kind of conversation going on. I don’t know what went on in Paul’s mind but he seems perfectly confident here to stand up in a ship that looks like it’s going to go down and tell them, “It’s not going down and God has granted that all of you will be spared with me.”

“Therefore, keep up your courage, men…” You should underline this in your Bible, “For I believe God.” I mean God has spoken, I believe God. Look around, be real. Open your eyes. You see the storm has been in for days. You see how dark it is. We haven’t seen sun or star for days. What is Paul saying? “I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told, exactly as I have been told.” Key statements the God to whom I belong, the God whom I serve, I believe God.” What a great statement.

I copied out a page from Charles Haden Spurgeon. He gave this sermon in the 1800’s. He’d appreciate some of the difficulties of sea travel even more than we can but he comments on this statement: “I believe God. I believe God. Sometimes it quite staggers me that it should be difficult for us to believe God. Dear friend, do you sympathize with me in my wonder? It is most of all surprising that God’s children should ever doubt Him. Especially those who have been so highly favored as some of us have been. Let preacher and hearer be amazed that we should ever dare to say, ‘that we find faith in God to be difficult.’ It is a grievous imputation upon God when we talk about faith as hard. If a child were to say of his father, ‘you know my father, he is in high repute but I find it quite a struggle to believe in him.’ What rumors would get abroad. What whispering. That man’s own child confesses that he finds it hard to believe him. Will not this bring forth from us the blush of shame and the tear of repentance to think that we ever should have spoken thus of God, our Father? Is there any proof of our fall more conclusive than this? Is there any token of the natural depravity of our heart more glaring that we should we be put so out of order as to doubt the living God? Why do we not trust Him altogether and implicitly? How is it that when we get a great promise we begin to say, ‘and is this true?’ When we come into deep trouble how is it that we mistrust His goodness? How is it that we do not rest in God in all things, great or small? Take this one line to heart beloved, here and repeat it for yourself many times, I believe God. Whatever else you question, always believe God.”

And how simple it is. You say, “Well an angel came and told Paul.” Yes, but I have the Word of God. He says “that all things work together for good to those who love Him.” I believe God. But I can’t see any good that come out of this. I didn’t say that I can see good that comes out of this I say I believe God. So without seeing what good could come out of this I believe that God works it for good. I believe God. He says He will never leave me or forsake me. I feel alone. I feel, God have You abandoned me? Are You really there with me? Yes, why? I believe God. He said He would never leave me. I believe God. That is the simplicity of it. We have His Word. “Forever, O Lord, Your Word is settled in heaven,” and what a privilege. You have given it to me. I have it. You are the God to whom I belong. You are the God whom I serve. He has spoken. I believe God. I believe it will turn out exactly as God has said. I believe there is a heaven; I believe there is a hell. Why? I believe God. I believe I will spend eternity in the glory of His presence. Why? Because He has promised me salvation in His Son, Jesus Christ and I have placed my full faith and confidence and trust in the Christ who loved me and died for me Who is raised and is alive. I believe God. I believe it will come out exactly as He said. Someday I will be in the glory of His presence. We can clear the clutter out of our hearts and minds if we just take the simplicity. Yes, I believe God. That is why I say, we should underline it, I believe God and it will turn out exactly as I have been told. We need to remember that when pressures come and difficulties come, when things don’t turn out the way that I had hoped and I had prayed and I had anticipated. Sometimes when painful things happen, unpleasant things happen, I have to just come aside, take the Word of God, open it up, “God, these are Your promises. I believe you. I don’t understand it.”

Paul is in this ship being tossed and driven about, having the same difficulties physically that everybody else on the ship is but he says, “I believe God.” And in our lives every situation, every circumstance – the same for us. I don’t know what the Lord has for me in the future but I know I can believe God. You don’t know what the future is but we have a track record if you have been a believer long, don’t we? Isn’t it nice to look back and say, “God has been faithful?” He has been faithful and He will be faithful. Not one jot, not one tittle of His Word will fail. Isn’t it nice to have something that is settled and sure in an unstable world? It doesn’t mean I won’t be caught up in the trials and turmoil of this life. It doesn’t mean that the disasters and tragedies of life will not affect me. I don’t live in a bubble. I don’t live in isolation and neither do you. But we belong to God. We serve Him and our confidence and trust is in His Word.

We will leave it here. The worst is yet to come. The ship has to go down but it will turn out as God has promised Paul.

Let’s pray together. Thank you, Lord for Your faithful servant Paul. Lord, it’s easy for us even as Your children to come to think especially as You have blessed us and prospered us in this country and we share in that prosperity we have lived without persecution and those kinds of afflictions but trials come, sickness comes, death comes, financial pressures come. All kinds of things come into our lives we find unpleasant. Sometimes we seem to be driven to despair. Lord, even as we read the history of this faithful servant we know You are the God who is in control of all the circumstances of life, the way the wind blows, the way the ship sails, nothing comes into our lives as Your children but that You have ordained and planned for our good and Your glory. Lord, we would be confident and assured and encouraged and blessed to know that You care for us, You watch over us and You will bring us safely into the glory of Your presence. May we remember that in the days of the week before us as we serve You and make Jesus Christ known wherever we are we pray in Christ’s name, amen.