Daily Bread Acts 27
Daily Bread Acts 27
The Shipwreck
27On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. 28They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty feet deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was ninety feet deep. 29Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchor
rs from the stern and prayed for daylight. 30In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. 31Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, "Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved." 32So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it fall away.
33Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. "For the last fourteen days," he said, "you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven't eaten anything. 34Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head." 35After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. 36They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37Altogether there were 276 of us on board. 38When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.
Observation:
By now you have come to expect that no day in Paul’s life would be without some drama. In Paul’s attempt to reach Rome, he and the 276 others aboard the ship are met by gale force winds called a “northeaster”. Also called a “noreaster”, it is a cyclone where the winds turn counter-clockwise, rather than like a normal hurricane which turns left to right or clockwise.
These precious details remind us of the historical nature of Luke’s account. Remember Luke, who wrote Luke-Acts, is a historian looking to preserve all of the details of this era in history for the ruler Theophilus. (see Luke 1). Whatever the case, Paul turns from being prisoner to a weather forecaster and virtual captain of the ship that saves the crew and passengers from certain destruction.
In quite an ironic twist after fourteen days with food, Paul urges them all to eat, finds some bread, gives thanks and breaks and eats it. The others follow suit. This reminds us of the words of institution for Holy Communion, and no doubt it was on Paul’s mind as he ate this meal. Paul knows God is in charge and the other sense it and listen to his advice. We see again God using Paul’s situation and faithfulness to glorify Himself through Paul’s obedience and faith.
Application:
We all from time to time get exacerbated by the storms of life, whether they are literal or figurative. Sometimes God sends “Nor-easters” our way, which run contrary to what logic would dictate. It is in these extraordinary circumstances that God often uses us to His wisdom when earthly wisdom been in vain.
As we follow Christ in our daily lives, there will be many times we may end up in places we had never dreamed of. (After all I never thought I’d end up in California) But this is one of the joys of the journey. I know many who currently are struggling and out of work. I know this has caused some to re-think what their calling and vocation might be. Sometimes out of adversary and chaos, we can receive a new clarity as to where God’s want us to be investing our time.
As Paul teaches us today, no matter where the winds of life will blow, you will never be far from the protection and grace of Your heavenly Father. He knows what you need and as Paul says, “You will not lose a single hair from your head.”
Prayer: God when the storms of life come into our life, continue to be our navigator and lead us by the Holy Spirit to have confidence that you will keep us safe and actually use these situations to show your Divine wisdom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
The Shipwreck
27On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. 28They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty feet deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was ninety feet deep. 29Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchor
rs from the stern and prayed for daylight. 30In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. 31Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, "Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved." 32So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it fall away.
33Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. "For the last fourteen days," he said, "you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven't eaten anything. 34Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head." 35After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. 36They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37Altogether there were 276 of us on board. 38When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.
Observation:
By now you have come to expect that no day in Paul’s life would be without some drama. In Paul’s attempt to reach Rome, he and the 276 others aboard the ship are met by gale force winds called a “northeaster”. Also called a “noreaster”, it is a cyclone where the winds turn counter-clockwise, rather than like a normal hurricane which turns left to right or clockwise.
These precious details remind us of the historical nature of Luke’s account. Remember Luke, who wrote Luke-Acts, is a historian looking to preserve all of the details of this era in history for the ruler Theophilus. (see Luke 1). Whatever the case, Paul turns from being prisoner to a weather forecaster and virtual captain of the ship that saves the crew and passengers from certain destruction.
In quite an ironic twist after fourteen days with food, Paul urges them all to eat, finds some bread, gives thanks and breaks and eats it. The others follow suit. This reminds us of the words of institution for Holy Communion, and no doubt it was on Paul’s mind as he ate this meal. Paul knows God is in charge and the other sense it and listen to his advice. We see again God using Paul’s situation and faithfulness to glorify Himself through Paul’s obedience and faith.
Application:
We all from time to time get exacerbated by the storms of life, whether they are literal or figurative. Sometimes God sends “Nor-easters” our way, which run contrary to what logic would dictate. It is in these extraordinary circumstances that God often uses us to His wisdom when earthly wisdom been in vain.
As we follow Christ in our daily lives, there will be many times we may end up in places we had never dreamed of. (After all I never thought I’d end up in California) But this is one of the joys of the journey. I know many who currently are struggling and out of work. I know this has caused some to re-think what their calling and vocation might be. Sometimes out of adversary and chaos, we can receive a new clarity as to where God’s want us to be investing our time.
As Paul teaches us today, no matter where the winds of life will blow, you will never be far from the protection and grace of Your heavenly Father. He knows what you need and as Paul says, “You will not lose a single hair from your head.”
Prayer: God when the storms of life come into our life, continue to be our navigator and lead us by the Holy Spirit to have confidence that you will keep us safe and actually use these situations to show your Divine wisdom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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