Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

Today’s scripture passage is a remarkable and detailed account of one of the most famous shipwrecks ever recorded. the Titanic, the Edmund Fitzgerald, (only by virtue of Gordon Lightfoot) the Lusitania, and Paul. There are obviously many more, but Luke spent time giving us great detail about this ordeal. Why is that, do you think? A couple of things I think about 1) It was so relevant to their day. Everyone knew of the importance of shipping. It would be like Amazon showing up at your house once a year with everything you had ordered. It was common. They could relate. 2) God has always reminded us through the stories in scripture that He loves to rub shoulders with the everyday guy. The sailors, the centurion, and the slaves, all got to experience Him and all in the same proportions. Rank did not receive a bigger dose.

Now let’s look at the story. As usual, God has given this group, like us, some warnings. Some guardrails. Through Paul, “Hey guys, you might want to consider not sailing there.” But, just like we experience, the world says, “It’s OK. Just going to go a little further on. What could go wrong?” Man, let that sink in a little. How many poor decisions could I have avoided in my life had I not trusted that voice? But they did. And just like me, they determined that they could just hug the coastline, not do anything too stupid, (meaning make sure your actions are at least better than the worst person you know) and things would work out. It didn’t. By the third day, they were chunking their cargo and their tackle into the sea to lighten the load. But verse 20 is the final straw for them. It says, “…from then on all HOPE of our being saved was gradually abandoned.” I hate to admit it, but that is where God has done His best work with me – when I have exhausted my efforts and abandoned any hope my efforts could muster.

Fear not. God showed up there just as He does in our lives. He had already told Paul that He was going to Rome. So Paul was able to stand in their midst on Day 14 of this horrendous storm and tell them, “Hang on. God has told me that I and all with me on this ship will survive.” He even had the centurion following his orders. Not surprised about that. God usually has that effect on those guys.

So even after they ran aground on a reef, had the ship break up, and all had to swim to shore, all 276 on board survived, just like God told Paul they would. I can only imagine the stories that were told around the dinner tables over the next few months/years. “Hey kids, you are not going to believe this…”

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• What do others see in you each day that makes them think, “Who is that guy/gal trusting in?"
• What do you need to do to make sure they see God lifted up?

Family Devo: Acts 27

By: Anna Beth Scott

When partnering with your family to know, love, and follow Jesus, we strive to create and share content filtered by the Head-Heart-Hands model. 

Head: the knowledge of God and His Word | Heart: the personal connection from scripture | Hands: a missional mindset

Head

In today’s reading, Paul, a prisoner for sharing the Gospel, is on a prison ship headed toward Italy. Paul warned the officers that a storm was coming and warned them against leaving as scheduled, but the officers didn’t listen. A storm did come and caused a lot of problems for the travelers. God sent an angel to tell Paul that no one would die and only the ship would be lost. Paul told everyone to “take courage because not one of you will be lost,” and he gave credit to God. All of the men were scared. Paul encouraged them to eat something because they had not eaten in fourteen days. He reassured them that, “not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” He then thanked God in front of them, and they ate as much as they wanted. Then, they threw the rest of the grain into the sea to lighten the ship. When morning came, the ship hit land and all the men were able to get to land safely.

Heart

Can you imagine being a prisoner on a ship in the middle of a storm?! That sounds so scary to me! Paul had been arrested for telling others about Jesus, and he was still trusting God and thanking Him in front of the soldiers! Wow! God had a plan for Paul and not even being arrested or a bad storm could stop it from happening. Paul was confident in who God was and what He could do. How confident are you in who God is and what He can do? Do you believe that He is on your side and has a good plan for your life?

Hands

God used Paul to encourage those around him, even his enemies. Look for ways today to encourage those around you with the truth that God loves them and has a plan for their lives.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for the example of Paul. You are good and You take care of us. Thank You for loving me and having a plan for my life. Help me to trust You like Paul did. Help me to find ways to encourage other people by telling them about You. In Jesus’ name, amen.