Acts 27 | God in the Stormનમૂનો

Facing the Sea

All of us will have to face the sea. It’s an inevitability, especially as a Christian.

As much as we’d like God to spare us from the sea, we do in fact pray “lead us not into temptation; deliver us from evil”—God does not shield us from it entirely. No, he calls us to face it.

Paul was a prisoner and in Roman hands, a prisoner on a ship, literally sent out on a long journey by sea. What would happen? (And, can I avoid it?) The sea was becoming dangerous (Acts 27:9). A ship captain and profit-minded owner were gambling with everyone’s lives by trying to beat the winter storms. Danger of being lost, being torn apart, being lost at sea, of dying (Acts 27:10-12). The danger was real, and Paul was no stranger to the sea. But he didn’t have a choice!

This was a sea he had to face.

Many times, the sea we face is not a sea of our own making. It is not a sea of our own choosing.

Acts tells us it was after they left a port-town called Fair Havens that all went bad. Not that it was easy up to this point. “Moving along the coast with difficulty” is how Luke describes the journey up until now (Acts 27:8). Foreboding difficulties of greater threats to come.

Paul wanted to stay in Fair Havens—don’t miss the innuendo of its name—and even appealed to the soldiers on board to listen to him.

Few of us ever want to leave fair havens. Even if we fantasize about facing danger or adventure, it’s usually from a safe, fair haven—protected from any real dangers that are otherwise easy to glamorize when we’re not in the middle of it.

Fair havens are a gift of God. They’re wonderful, comfortable places to be.

But God will also call us out of fair havens to face things we’d rather not face.

It was Jesus who once told Peter to get out of the boat and walk on the sea. And this far from shore with the wind and the waves against him. Get out of the safe place, and come to me.

Actually, it was Peter who first asked if he could come to him. The only way to truly discover the depths of what God is calling us to do is by stepping out of our comfort zones and taking leaps of faith. Because Jesus told him as he tells us, “Take courage. It is I. Don’t be afraid” (Matt 14:27, NIV).

Discipleship means radically turning our lives over to God. We are loved by God, and though we are broken, God yearns to redeem and restore every aspect of who we are. Let’s state it again. The only way to truly discover the depths of what God is calling us to is by stepping out of our comfort zones and taking leaps of faith. Following him is extreme, and the life of faith is an adventure. It is a journey of discovering and rediscovering a deeper life with him every single day.

Peter did. He faced the sea. And Peter doubted. He saw the wind and was afraid, and started to sink. “Lord, save me!” Immediately, Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.

You will have to face the sea. At times you’ll be called to. When you do, remember Jesus’s words to Peter: “Take courage. It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Remember what the Lord once said to Joshua, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Josh 1:9, NIV). Remember what God once did for Israel: “All that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left” (Exod 14:21-22, NIV).

In Exodus, after passing through the sea, Israel sang a song. Here’s a line: “By the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up. The surging waters stood up like a wall; the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea” (Exod 15:8). Even when we face the sea, God is mighty to save.