Paul wasn’t aboard the ship by his own choosing, he was a prisoner destined to appear before Caesar, and therefore he couldn’t remove himself from the circumstances. The angel of the Lord appeared to Paul and said, “God has granted you all those who sail with you.” Yet there was tremendous material loss. He prayed and fasted, for the lives of those on board. I believe he reached for every tool he could lay his hands on. Nor is it suggested that he attempted to “walk” away from the ship.
Now it is not recorded that Paul, “rebuked” the winds, rain and violence of the hurricane. Inspired by Tony Cooke’s article, “About Faith and Storms,” he sites Abraham Maslow’s comment, “I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail.” Obviously Jesus must have had more than one tool. Perhaps most relate-able is the storm Paul endured recorded in Acts 27. Then there is the storm that Jesus didn’t rebuke, rather He and Peter walked through (Matt. Remember Jesus told the winds and waves to “hush and be still ” and they were (Mark 4:39). Muchly needing part B…”a longing fulfilled is a tree of life” thanks to hurricane Irma, our plans have to be “deferred.” Thus making the “sick heart.” Now I am not writing this to gain a sympathy thought from you but to relate just how often circumstances can set us back.Īs believers we are not strangers to the biblical stories of storms. This would be the first time in five years we would return to a favorite vacation spot we’ve enjoyed with family and friends over time. Since the beginning of the year we made plans, prepared in every possible way, to make “vacation happen.” Not as simple as it may sound. Pastor Cathy and I are experiencing part A of the passage. Rather a hope-filled trust/reliance upon promises that the Lord desires to “make happen.” That doesn’t mean a reckless, careless, blind approach to living. The verse continues, “But a longing fulfilled is a tree of life” (Proverbs 13:12).