The Storm

Acts 27:15

“The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along.”

The other day I was going to my men’s group and I got caught in traffic. Looking ahead, all I could see were tail lights. We came to a standstill and all I could do was wait and inch along until the traffic cleared.

In the verse today, Paul was on his way to Rome to stand trial under Nero. He was aboard a ship with 276 men and a bunch of cargo. They were having trouble sailing along the coast and Paul warned them to not sail any further because it would come at a great loss to the ship and everyone on board (verse 10). Well, the centurion did not listen to Paul but rather the owner of the ship and they decided to sail on because the harbor they were in was not suitable for winter. I know what you’re thinking; why would anyone listen to Paul, a prisoner on the ship rather than the captain? Well, they sail on and the Bible tells us that they were caught in a storm so strong all they could do was be driven by its winds to a random island.

Paul and the fellas on the ship were in a pickle. If they would have only listened to Paul. We have the rest of the story for us to read but they were living it minute by minute. God often gives us a nudge from the Holy Spirit when we are about to mess up. Some of us know this nudge very well, others pass it off like the men in charge of the ship. The lesson we are to learn is that God speaks through the most unlikely of sources to get our attention sometimes. That storm of life you are in right now just maybe because you chose not to listen to the Holy Spirit and you went forward with your own judgment.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, ” Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” It is our own understanding that gets us in trouble most of the time. Before the next decision in life, stop and pray. Ask the Lord to show you how you are to proceed, it might just be the saving grace choice that saves you some heart ache. The storm won’t kill you but it can wreck things, don’t let yourself miss the nudge from the one Jesus sent to us to coach us, the Holy Spirit.