Pain In the Deck

On Sunday’s I will share some devotional or lesson I heard or learned about through the last week that spoke to me. Today something we can all relate to, this is taken from a lesson I heard from my Pastor.

Acts 27:1-8

Acts 27: 1 :When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment.

God wants you to see the method in which Paul is going to Rome. God told Paul he was going to Rome, but Paul did not know how. How many times have we said “God please use me as your vessel” and then things happen in our life that knock us on the side of the head and we wonder, “I did not ask for this”. Look how Paul is going….AS A PRISONER. I don’t think that would have been his first choice, nor mine! In Col. 4:18 Paul writes “remember my bonds” remember the method in which the Lord brought me to where I am.

Acts 27: 2 “We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us.”

The Lord’s hand is with Paul, He is there protecting him in the midst of the imprisonment. How many times when we are in the midst of things swirling around us do we have confidence that God is right there with us? Or do we lose hope and our perspective? (I know I do at times)

Acts 27: 3 The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs.

The “we” is Luke in this verse. As Paul is going through this imprisonment he has his buddy right beside him. II Tim. 4:11 Paul calls Luke his “soul mate”. When we are going through dark times in so many cases the Lord brings someone right when we need them. It is always good to have a friend/husband/family right there with you, or even a “blog buddy who can pray with you”.

Also the Lord saw to it that Paul’s needs were met. We know that Paul “had a thorn in his side” we don’t know exactly what that was. But the Lord provided even in the midst of imprisonment. The Lord’s hand was right there.

Acts 27: 4 From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us.

In Acts 13:3 we know that Paul had been to Cyprus before, he was a free man at that time. Since then all he has been doing is following God’s will and obeying God. Wouldn’t someone wonder, “hey I was a free man there, and all I did was follow God and look where it has gotten me now?” Now I am passing by Cyprus again, but in this boat as a prisoner!! This is the time where many of us would question “Why” Lord, I did all the right things, followed you? Why is this happening?

Acts 27: 5 When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board.

Here it shows the centurion commandeering a ship. He was bound for Rome, and did not want to stop for anything!! Full speed ahead (just like the Titanic). This ship was more than likely a grain ship. And where there is food or grain on a ship there are rats!! (I think this is where I would have lost it!!)

But the Lord’s hand was on Paul, but he sure was not going first class. How many times as Christians we want to serve the Lord in the “first class seat”. But when we get bumped to the cargo section, we wonder “what did I do wrong?”

Now if you are still with me, lastly,

Acts 27:7& 8 We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone. 8We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.

“Bad news looms” Paul saw that they were passing “Fair Havens” and beyond that there was nothing. Kind of like “this is the last pit stop for 100 miles, better go potty now”.

But in Acts 23:11 God told Paul he was going to make it to Rome. So even though Paul did not like the circumstances, and could not see a way, the Lord was still in control. The Lord says “I will never leave you nor forsake you!”

Eph 1:11 the Lord works all things out according to His will. Why do bad things happen? We don’t know, why bad circumstances arrive, we don’t know but the Lord works them out.

What man has meant for evil God has mean for God. Here the Centurion thought “I am going to get to Rome even if it kills us”, but who was actually in charge of them getting to Rome? God.

As Chrisitans we would like to live the easy life, we would like to say “we always see the bigger picture” but if you are like me you only see the light with where you stand at the moment. But I have faith the Lord is in control. And plus if I did live the easy life, where would my witness be that God is always there, God is always fair, God is always loving, and that God is always in control. Keep your eyes on him not the circumstances around you.

I am writing this to remind myself as much as it is to share with you. I do have a testimony, I do know the Lord has brought me through a lot and I need a reminder at times, that the Lord does not call me to live the easy life, but the obedient life.

Blessings,