Tag: Safety

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The Harrowing Story at Sea.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners to make sure they didn’t swim ashore and escape. But the commanding officer wanted to spare Paul, so he didn’t let them carry out their plan. Then he ordered all who could swim to jump overboard first and make for land. The others held on to planks or debris from the broken ship. So everyone escaped safely to shore.” ‭‭Acts ‭27‬:‭42‬-‭44‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Acts 27 is such an archetype story to Jonah’s whale of a tale. Jonah of course was told to go to Nineveh but said “no” and sailed in the opposite direction. Paul was told he would have the opportunity to share the gospel with the most powerful man of Roman ancient days – Caesar. Paul knew that chains, imprisonment and death awaited him, but it would not dissuade his faith. Yet, even in Paul’s eagerness to get to Rome to present his case (which was the gospel) to Caesar himself (because Paul had rights as a Roman citizen) he wanted to do so safely.

At the top of chapter 27, we find Paul having favor with a Roman officer named Julius, a captain of the Imperial Regiment. However, traveling by Sea to Italy would not be easy because they were heading into the open sea late in the fall, when the ocean is unsailable. Paul, never being shy about speaking up, told the officer in charge of the prisoners, “I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on—shipwreck, loss of cargo, and danger to our lives as well.” The ship captain disagreed and continue to push on. Why would the captain of a prison ship listen to one of the prisoners about how to sail a ship. It was a large ship with 276 men on board!

As Paul had predicted, a nor’easter, typhoon storm came out of nowhere and drove the ship further out to sea. The storm beat against the ship and lasted for days. Paul met with the crew and told them, “Men, you should have listened to me in the first place and not left Crete. You would have avoided all this damage and loss.” Paul was bold and gutsy enough to scold them! But Paul had also heard from God IN THE STORM and shared what God said with the crew. ”For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.”

Paul told them the ship would crash and be lost, but everyone would live! Even to the point that the sailors wanted to abandon the ship on the lifeboat, but Paul warned the captain not to let them. They cut the lines towing the lifeboat! Paul encouraged them all to eat and prepare to swim for shore. Every single person on that ship survived!

What an amazing ending. Instead of a whale spitting Paul onto the shore, the ship ran aground and Paul swam to safety. Even in the storm God spoke. And, even through the storm God saved them all. God’s purposes, plans and will is so often a complete mystery to us. But no matter what may come, He is always right, true and just. It’s okay to pray to avoid storms and shipwrecks, but it just may be that we may have to go completely through it crashing on the shore but still alive.

Prayer

Dad,
In complete obedience to doing your well, of course we would want it as clear and smooth as possible. But it just doesn’t normally go that way. There are typhoons and nor’easters that come threatening to throw us off course and even try to kill us! You were on that boat with the disciples in the big lake storm and you were with Paul in the sea storm. Even in the storms of life you will be with me. I need to hear your voice and trust you with the outcomes because you know what you’re doing. May we all be spared in the storm we are facing right now. Save us! Amen.

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Waiting for final justice.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“But for those who are righteous, the way is not steep and rough. You are a God who does what is right, and you smooth out the path ahead of them. Lord, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws; our heart’s desire is to glorify your name. In the night I search for you; in the morning I earnestly seek you. For only when you come to judge the earth will people learn what is right.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭26‬:‭7‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Isaiah, in telling the true tale of two cities, one of Babylon and the other of Jerusalem, describes the citizens of each. Even though the walk up the hill to Jerusalem is steep – from the valley below to the top of the mount is 2,500ft. Yet, Isaiah writes, “for the righteous, it’s not steep and rough.” Most of the stories of people coming to Jerusalem, or even returning to Jerusalem after years of captivity, write about it being a joyous journey. They come up to the city with excitement.

Isaiah tells us, yet another reason, this is true. Of course, it has always been depicted as the “city of God,” but in this passage he writes about its citizens. The citizens of God’s city, who are righteous, will not even break a sweat because it is God who smooths out their path. Imagine for a moment the true wonder of a city that is known for doing right, filled with justice and held accountable by God himself. Think of the cities we have now! We’ve got cities that are not safe and are filled with poverty, violence, and powerful gangs (in the streets and in the government 😳). Have you noticed our driving habits on the freeways lately? High speed, reckless drivers, racing as though there were no CHP to stop them. Businesses have practically given up trying to stop shoplifting and smash-n-grab mobs. Many have just closed stores rather than deal with the massive financial loss. There is a certain brazen behavior when there are no apparent consequences. The laws are there, but there is no enforcement. Isaiah challenges me when he writes, “we show our trust in you by obeying your laws.” It is both God’s laws and His justice that make this future, great city safe! The final word is hopeful and disturbing at the same time, it is “only when you come to judge the earth will people learn what is right.” That finality of accountability to what is right, will for many, be too late. Our behaviors testify that people do not believe God exists nor will He be perfect in His justice and judgment.

Prayer

Dad,
I thought everyone wanted to live and possibly raise a family in a safe city. Apparently, this is not true for all. The wicked, those who race to do wrong, preying on the weak and innocent; disregarding the law and peace, they just want the freedom to do whatever they want, to whomever they want to do it to! It’s no wonder our cities are full of pain and brokenness. Those who want to just live their lives and enjoy their neighborhoods will have to wait until you bring justice to the whole earth. Even though Isaiah was Your spokesperson, it did not protect him from the violence in his own time and from his own people. May your peace and mercy go before us as we wait for the fulfillment of your promises.

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Self pep talk.

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken.” Psalms‬ ‭62:1-2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

David often pep-talked himself, in declarations describing God’s nature, His character. In other translations, this verse uses the word “rest.” The word is dumiyyah: a silence, a quiet waiting. If there is one place to feel safe, secure and not anxious it is in this cleft in the rock. It’s this idea of being surrounded by a naturally strong hiding place or standing upon an immovable object. I need somewhere safe to run to, to stand on, to feel protected. God is that person, personified as a place.

I never had a sense that I could run into my mom’s or dad’s arms and feel loved and safe. Having never met my birth mom and being adopted into a strange home, was difficult as a child. I guess it’s not their fault, maybe they were waiting for me to reach out? Either way I had no sense of someone bigger, stronger or smarter to run to when I felt threatened or overwhelmed. God became my only refuge, my only hope of consolation. I learned as David did, that God is physically, emotionally, spiritually there for me when I was afraid.

David closes out this thought with a powerful encouragement. “God has spoken plainly, and I have heard it many times: Power, O God, belongs to you; unfailing love, O Lord, is yours. Surely you repay all people according to what they have done.” I think about this in terms of the word control. I have very little. I do not control most of the situations that happen all around me, not the least of which is people. And, I have learned the hard way, neither do I have the power to fix humans! However, God DOES control, guide, and continues to make ways where there were none. And, best of all, God has ALL power. He can and does fix humans, if we’ll let him. He’s the only one that can heal a broken soul, restore a broken relationship, transform a life once littered with trash and tragedy. God has done this in me, for me. If I can be an agent for leading and directing people back to him, I will have accomplished my purpose in this life.

Prayer

Dad,
Just knowing you as THE source of protection and of power is encouraging. Just knowing that all things work together for your will and our good is comforting. Just knowing that you and you alone are a quiet place of refuge, to be still, to breath deeply is restorative for my own restless soul. And when I come across broken people, or impossible cultural behaviors that are barriers to where you want us to be, I believe you are powerful to change hearts, minds and situations. Thank you.