I’m sailing away
Set an open course for the Virgin Sea
‘Cause I’ve got to be free
Free to face the life that’s ahead of me

On board, I’m the captain
So climb aboard
We’ll search for tomorrow
On every shore
And I’ll try, oh Lord, I’ll try
To carry on

I look to the sea
Reflections in the waves, spark my memory
Some happy, some sad
I think of childhood friends and the dreams we had

We lived happily forever
So the story goes
But somehow we missed out
On the pot of gold
But we’ll try, best that we can
To carry on

A gathering of angels
Appeared above my head
They sang to me this song of hope
And this is what they said

They said come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me, lads
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me
Come sail away, come sail away…

(“Come, Sail Away” Songwriters: Dennis De Young; Sung by Styx)

“Where God guides, He provides” was proved true as Paul and his friends, prisoners in care of a Roman guard, aboard a ship with Rome as the destination so he can stand before Caesar and declare his innocence.  “Come sail away…”

Acts 27, The Message

A Storm at Sea

^1-2 As soon as arrangements were complete for our sailing to Italy, Paul and a few other prisoners were placed under the supervision of a centurion named Julius, a member of an elite guard. We boarded a ship from Adramyttium that was bound for Ephesus and ports west. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, went with us.

³ The next day we put in at Sidon. Julius treated Paul most decently—let him get off the ship and enjoy the hospitality of his friends there.

^4-8 Out to sea again, we sailed north under the protection of the northeast shore of Cyprus because winds out of the west were against us, and then along the coast westward to the port of Myra. There the centurion found an Egyptian ship headed for Italy and transferred us on board. We ran into bad weather and found it impossible to stay on course. After much difficulty, we finally made it to the southern coast of the island of Crete and docked at Good Harbor (appropriate name!).

^9-10 By this time we had lost a lot of time. We had passed the autumn equinox, so it would be stormy weather from now on through the winter, too dangerous for sailing. Paul warned, “I see only disaster ahead for cargo and ship—to say nothing of our lives!—if we put out to sea now.”

^12,11 But it was not the best harbor for staying the winter. Phoenix, a few miles further on, was more suitable. The centurion set Paul’s warning aside and let the ship captain and the shipowner talk him into trying for the next harbor.

^13-15 When a gentle southerly breeze came up, they weighed anchor, thinking it would be smooth sailing. But they were no sooner out to sea than a gale-force wind, the infamous nor’easter, struck. They lost all control of the ship. It was a cork in the storm.

^16-17 We came under the lee of the small island named Clauda, and managed to get a lifeboat ready and reef the sails. But rocky shoals prevented us from getting close. We only managed to avoid them by throwing out drift anchors.

^18-20 Next day, out on the high seas again and badly damaged now by the storm, we dumped the cargo overboard. The third day the sailors lightened the ship further by throwing off all the tackle and provisions. It had been many days since we had seen either sun or stars. Wind and waves were battering us unmercifully, and we lost all hope of rescue.

^21-22 With our appetite for both food and life long gone, Paul took his place in our midst and said, “Friends, you really should have listened to me back in Crete. We could have avoided all this trouble and trial. But there’s no need to dwell on that now. From now on, things are looking up! I can assure you that there’ll not be a single drowning among us, although I can’t say as much for the ship—the ship itself is doomed.

^23-26 “Last night God’s angel stood at my side, an angel of this God I serve, saying to me, ‘Don’t give up, Paul. You’re going to stand before Caesar yet—and everyone sailing with you is also going to make it.’ So, dear friends, take heart. I believe God will do exactly what he told me. But we’re going to shipwreck on some island or other.”

^27-29 On the fourteenth night, adrift somewhere on the Adriatic Sea, at about midnight the sailors sensed that we were approaching land. Sounding, they measured a depth of 120 feet, and shortly after that ninety feet. Afraid that we were about to run aground, they threw out four anchors and prayed for daylight.

^30-32 Some of the sailors tried to jump ship. They let down the lifeboat, pretending they were going to set out more anchors from the bow. Paul saw through their guise and told the centurion and his soldiers, “If these sailors don’t stay with the ship, we’re all going down.” So the soldiers cut the lines to the lifeboat and let it drift off.

^33-34 With dawn about to break, Paul called everyone together and proposed breakfast: “This is the fourteenth day we’ve gone without food. None of us has felt like eating! But I urge you to eat something now. You’ll need strength for the rescue ahead. You’re going to come out of this without even a scratch!”

^35-38 He broke the bread, gave thanks to God, passed it around, and they all ate heartily—276 of us, all told! With the meal finished and everyone full, the ship was further lightened by dumping the grain overboard.

^39-41 At daybreak, no one recognized the land—but then they did notice a bay with a nice beach. They decided to try to run the ship up on the beach. They cut the anchors, loosed the tiller, raised the sail, and ran before the wind toward the beach. But we didn’t make it. Still far from shore, we hit a reef and the ship began to break up.

^42-44 The soldiers decided to kill the prisoners so none could escape by swimming, but the centurion, determined to save Paul, stopped them. He gave orders for anyone who could swim to dive in and go for it, and for the rest to grab a plank. Everyone made it to shore safely.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Paul listens to God’s Holy Spirit and relays what God says to avoid.  But others around us who do not believe live for themselves and lean to their own understandings based on previous experiences or from others who have influenced them.  The captain of the ship could have avoided losing his ship if he would have listened to Paul. But he did not.

The storm came with a mighty force.  The risk the captain and crew took was now full of danger and the possibility of lives lost.  However, God’s purpose in Paul will be fulfilled.  He will does not stop the storm but He provides a way through it without any lives lost.  Read that again.  No lives lost! 

Paul and his believing friends were probably the only ones clinging to the ship that was rocking and rolling in a storm that could destroy them who believed God would indeed save them—because He said so.  “Last night God’s angel stood at my side, an angel of this God I serve, saying to me, ‘Don’t give up, Paul. You’re going to stand before Caesar yet—and everyone sailing with you is also going to make it.’ So, dear friends, take heart. I believe God will do exactly what he told me.”

In the middle of the storm, Paul served a meal with encouragement!  Who does that?!  Like our grandmas, Paul says, “Eat something”—while the storm rages!

Does this not remind us of Jesus bringing his disciples together to encourage them, serve the Passover meal, wash their feet, showing the full extent of his love for them beforegoing to the cross?  Paul is not Jesus, and is not perfect, but he is learning to trust God completely!  Paul, through this storm and previous experiences, is developing the character traits of Jesus who he tenaciously loves as Savior and preaches and follows as Lord. 

God sent Jesus to earth to save us.  God guided Jesus’ every step along the way.  “I do what the Father tells me to say and do,” was the mantra of our Lord.  (See John’s gospel)  In the middle of storms, Jesus rose up to calm them because He was God’s Son.  In the middle of His own storm, God provided for Him while He completed the mission to save us.  Here’s the difference, however, between Paul and Jesus.  Only Jesus, Son of God and Son of Man, without sin, could save us from our sins.  Paul is merely a called servant of His Master, Jesus who is God and is committed to listen, trust, and obey.  Paul would be the first to affirm this Truth.  Because of Jesus, Paul believes, truly believes, that God will do exactly what He tells him—And God does!

PAUSE TO PRAY:

Do we really believe what God says to be really real?  We must take our time to answer from the depths of our hearts, minds, and souls.  What we feed our hearts will produce our behaviors.  Our demeanors developed dictate our doctrine (what we truly believe).  Ponder then praise God for how he cares, convicts, and corrects us!

Now, take time to praise God for the many ways He provides as He guides us through good times and the challenging times in our lives. 

Trust God—He knows what He’s doing. Come sail away with God as the captain of your ship.  God knows what lies ahead and will protect us as we learn to obey what He says. 

“…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” –Paul, Philippians 1:6, NIV

Lord,

What a story of your miraculous provision and care all because of the deep love you have for all of us.  We each could tell stories of your goodness, rescue, provision, and protection!  Thank you for being with us always—just as you said!  You call us to sail away with you—I’m ready!

In Jesus Name, Amen