Acts 27:27-44 – On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. 28 They 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. 29 Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. 30 In 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. 31 Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it drift away. 33 Just 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. 34 Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” 35 After 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. 36 They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37 Altogether there were 276 of us on board. 38 When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea. 39 When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. 40 Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach. 41 But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf. 42 The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. 43 But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. 44 The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely.
“Just 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. 34 Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” Paul had warned the centurion about men leaving the ship and so the centurion stopped that from happening. Now Paul offers these hardened sailors who were rightfully fearful because of the real danger they were in, to relax and eat something. Some think they hadn’t eaten because they had been fasting and praying to their gods. That’s possible. If they had been, it wasn’t working and they had not been comforted in any way. Another idea is that, because of the storm and the extreme effort to save the ship, the men had been working day and night (the storm did not relent) and were more concerned about losing their lives to the storm than about eating. Both seem like reasonable possibilities. Paul offered to them what their gods, or their expert salesmanship, could not. A chance to believe that everything will be okay and to just relax and trust that God has everything in control. And in that freedom from worry and self-effort to enjoy a meal and be strengthened. He assured them that will live.
Jesus has done that for all of us. All our efforts to save us from a real and unrelenting evil could not, and did not work. We were in very real danger. We were all going to perish in Hell unless someone saved us. False hopes in false god wouldn’t save us. The most intelligent and learned men could not save us. Our own best efforts and applied experience could not save us. We were all doomed to be swallowed up in the sea of evil that we were born into. Yet “But God!” As these men could only be freed from the shackles of their fear (from their very real circumstances) by the One True God, so it is with us. The danger was real. The fear was correct. Indeed, we, like them, were helpless to help ourselves. So the Father sent Jesus to save us. Only He could. Only He could help those on the ship and only He could help us. Jesus did come and He did pay the price so that all who do not want to perish in Hell could go to Heaven through Jesus. We don’t have to fear. We can eat and be merry. Our lives are free. We are safe. Our assurance is sure. Praise God! And this is offered to all who will humble themselves, acknowledge Jesus as Savior and live their lives with Him as their Lord. Easy Peasy because of Jesus! Thank you Jesus! Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”