Acts 27

Read: Acts 27

In this chapter we see quite the voyage.  Paul was on his way to Rome to face trial before Caesar.  The progress of the journey was overall pretty slow, and eventually the seasons changed so that the weather was no longer ideal for sailing.  Paul warned the centurion that he foresees disaster if they continue their trip. The centurion did not take Paul’s advice and I’m sure regretted it later.  Shortly afterwards, a large storm came that took them off course and they were stuck at sea for fourteen days. They threw everything with weight overboard (even the food!), and attempted to run the ship onto an island.  

It is interesting to see the progression of Paul’s influence over these people.  At first, the centurion pretty much ignored Paul and his advice. Then, once he saw that Paul had been right about the journey being headed for disaster, he was much more open to his future input.  From then on, the centurion did not ignore Paul. Instead, he did everything Paul said. He did not let the soldiers jump ship because of Paul’s warning in verse 31. He allowed Paul to speak and minister to those on board when he encouraged them to eat, and he took Paul’s advice to try to run the ship aground on an island.  Then when they made it to the island, the centurion prevented the soldiers from killing Paul and the other prisoners because he wanted to save him.

Here very simply, we see God’s providence.  God is working behind the scenes to give Paul influence over these people.  As a result Paul is able to be a witness to them. Everything Paul’s God said would happen, happened.  The centurion knew he could trust Paul’s judgement because it was coming from God. It is not said whether or not anyone became believers because of this experience, but I wouldn’t be surprised if some did become believers later.  We also see God’s providence in getting Paul there safely. God told Paul that it was necessary for him to appear before Caesar, so of course God would get him there. The shipwreck wouldn’t take Paul’s life, and neither would the soldiers.  

We also can trust God.  We may not know the details of what will happen in quite the same way Paul did, but we know that God has a plan for our lives and we will not die before our time comes to go.  God doesn’t necessarily dictate our every move, but he takes our choices and guides us along our journey. He has a wonderful plan for our lives and if we seek his direction, he will help us to get where we need to go.