The men on board the ship have spent many rough days at sea. They've come to the point of despair and believe they are going to die at sea. At least, all of them but Paul believe this. Paul has had a message from the Lord.
"After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: 'Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourself this damage and loss. But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.' So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as He told me. Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.'" (Acts 27:21-26) The men are in no mood to eat. They believe death is imminent.
Paul was in the same mood until the Lord sent him a message during night. I think at the time Paul was praying desperately for God to save them. He knew the situation was hopeless unless God stepped in. It comforts me to know that even someone like the Apostle Paul struggled with doubts and fears. We have a tendency to place the men and women of the Bible on a pedestal as if they did a better job than we do of trusting the Lord. But they were human beings just like us with all the same weaknesses.
"On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. 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. Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. 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. Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, 'Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.' So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it drift away." (Acts 27:27-32) The sailors intend to abandon ship. Their attitude is, "Every man for himself!" They are the only men on board with the skills to run the ship aground on an island, as the Lord has advised Paul they must do, but they selfishly decide to leave the passengers to die. The prisoners and the soldiers have no idea how to beach the ship without killing everyone on board. The centurion orders his men to cut the lifeboat loose. Now no one can leave the ship.
In cutting the lifeboat loose they are cutting loose all hope of help from any source other than from the God whom Paul believes in. They are making an irrevocable decision to trust that the word the Lord sent to Paul is the truth. I've been there a few times, haven't you? I've been in such dire straits that I knew no help was coming unless it came from God. It's at that point we have to make a decision: do we trust His word or don't we?
The men are going to need all their strength to make it to shore, so Paul gives some practical advice. "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. 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.' After he had said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. They were all encouraged and are some food themselves. Altogether there were 276 of us on board. When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea. " (Acts 27:33-38) When going through hard times it's important to take care of ourselves. In our depression and anxiety we may tend to neglect our health, but we can clearly see from our passage today that this is not God's will for us. He wants us to take care of the bodies He's given us. God is concerned not only with our spiritual wellbeing but also with our physical and mental and emotional wellbeing.
"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. 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. 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 sounding of the surf." (Acts 27:39-41) No one but the sailors would have known how to do any of the things necessary to ground the ship. This is why everyone on board had to work together to survive. We have here a wonderful example of how God intends the body of believers to work together. We can't abandon ship when the going gets rough. God has blessed each of us with specific gifts and when some of us jump ship, taking our gifts with us, we cause harm to those we've left behind. Every single member of God's family is vital to the health and wellbeing of every other member. He wants us working together, not working against each other.
"The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. 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. The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely." (Acts 27:42-44) In 2 Corinthians 11 the Apostle Paul speaks of all the perils he has endured as an ambassador for Christ, and he states he has faced danger at sea and danger from the Gentiles. The danger from the sea appears to be over when the ship runs aground, but then suddenly Paul finds himself in danger from the Gentile soldiers who intend to kill him and all the other prisoners. The soldiers don't want to have to explain to Rome that the prisoners (some of whom have probably been convicted of serious crimes like sedition and murder) got away from them. But because at the outset of the journey the Lord providentially gave Paul favor in the eyes of the centurion, the centurion orders that no one be executed. And because God keeps His promises, every person makes it to shore safely.
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