#Euroclydon

[libraryofandrasta]

"But it is too late to make any improvements now. The universe is finished; the copestone is on, and the chips were carted off a million years ago. Poor Lazarus there, chattering his teeth against the curb-stone for his pillow, and shaking off his tatters with his shiverings, he might plus up both ears with rags, and put a corncob into his mouth, and yet that would not keep out the tempestuous Euroclydon."

Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chapter II: The Carpet-Bag

[valpwca]

“In judging of that tempestuous wind called Euroclydon,” says an old writer—of whose works I possess the only copy extant—

[mysticalspiders]

Whale Weekly Annotations: December 17

Quite a bit of art today!

[ (Ha! thought I, ha, as the flying particles almost choked me, are these ashes from that destroyed city, Gomorrah?)

1. In Genesis 19, God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah, the wicked cities of the plain, by raining fire and brimstone upon them.

(It seemed the great Black Parliament sitting in Tophet)

2. Hell.]

[(where that tempestuous wind Euroclydon kept up a worse howling than ever it did about poor Paul’s tossed craft)

3. A “temptestuous wind, called Euroclydon,” buffets Paul’s ship in Acts 27. The old writer is presumable Ishmael’s invention.

(old black-letter, thou reasonest well)

4. From the name of the type in the earliest printed books, resembling the script of medieval manuscripts. 

(Poor Lazarus there, chattering his teeth against the curbstone for his pillow, and shaking off his tatters with his shiverings, he might plug up both ears with rags, and put a corn-cob into his mouth, and yet that would not keep out the tempestuous Euroclydon. Euroclydon! says old Dives, in his red silken wrapper—(he had a redder one afterwards))

5. In the biblical parable Lazarus is a beggar who is saved, while a rich man (Dives) is daned to the fires of Hell. See Luke 16: 19-31.]

[(like another cursed Jonah)

1. See Jonah 1-2.

(examining by a dim light divers specimens of skrimshander)

2. Also called scrimshaw. See Melville’s definition, Chapter 57, paragraph two.]

[(This man interested me at once; and since the sea-gods had ordained that he should soon become my shipmate (though but a sleeping-partner one, so far as this narrative is concerned))

3. Not a bunkmate but a “silent partner,” that is a partner who takes no visible part in the business. 

(He stood full six feet in height, with noble shoulders, and a chest like a coffer-dam)

4. A watertight structure from which repairs can be made on a ship below waterline.]

[(going up to him as cool as Mt. Hecla in a snow-storm)

5. Externally cool but inwardly furious. Mt. Helca, in Iceland, well known as an active volcano. (sidenote: I love how cheeky the annotator is here)]

[encourager98]

The Lesson Of The Ship In The Storm

youtube.com/watch Acts 27:13-44 And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete. But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon. And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive. And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much…

[jeusussavearmyveteran1205]

"Every new year is an uncharted and unknown sea. No ship has ever sailed this way before. The wisest of earth's sons and daughters cannot tell us what we may encounter on this journey. Familiarity with the past may afford us a general idea of what we may expect, but just where the rocks lie hidden beneath the surface or when that "tempestuous wind called Euroclydon" may sweep down upon us suddenly, no one can say with certainty....

Now more than at any other time in generations, the believer is in a position to go on the offensive. The world is lost on a wide sea, and Christians alone know the way to the desired haven. While things were going well, the world scorned them with their Bible and hymns, but now the world needs them desperately, and it needs that despised Bible, too. For in the Bible, and there only, is found the chart to tell us where we are going on this rough and unknown ocean. The day when Christians should meekly apologize is over—they can get the world's attention not by trying to please, but by boldly declaring the truth of divine revelation. They can make themselves heard not by compromise, but by taking the affirmative and sturdily declaring, 'Thus saith the Lord.' " AW Tozer, This World: Playground or Battleground? pp. 9-10

[onenakedfarmer]

HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW "Midnight Mass for the Dying Year"

Yes, the Year is growing old, And his eye is pale and bleared! Death, with frosty hand and cold, Plucks the old man by the beard, Sorely,—sorely!

The leaves are falling, falling, Solemnly and slow; Caw! caw! the rooks are calling, It is a sound of woe, A sound of woe!

Through woods and mountain-passes The winds, like anthems, roll; They are chanting solemn masses, Singing; Pray for this poor soul, Pray,—pray!

And the hooded clouds, like friars, Tell their beads in drops of rain, And patter their doleful prayers;— But their prayers are all in vain, All in vain!

There he stands in the foul weather, The foolish, fond Old Year, Crowned with wild flowers and with heather, Like weak, despised Lear, A king,—a king!

Then comes the summer-like day, Bids the old man rejoice! His joy! his last! O, the old man gray Loveth that ever-soft voice, Gentle and low.

To the crimson woods he saith, And the voice gentle and low Of the soft air, like a daughter's breath, Pray do not mock me so! Do not laugh at me!

And now the sweet day is dead; Cold in his arms it lies; No stain from its breath is spread Over the glassy skies, No mist or stain!

Then, too, the Old Year dieth, And the forests utter a moan, Like the voice of one who crieth In the wilderness alone, Vex not his ghost!

Then comes, with an awful roar, Gathering and sounding on, The storm-wind from Labrador, The wind Euroclydon, The storm-wind!

Howl! howl! and from the forest Sweep the red leaves away! Would, the sins that thou abhorrest, O Soul! could thus decay, And be swept away!

For there shall come a mightier blast, There shall be a darker day; And the stars, from heaven down-cast Like red leaves be swept away! Kyrie, Eleyson! Christe, Eleyson!

[violettesiren]

April, the opener, openeth not my mouth To utter flattering words to thee, O Spring! What though the sweetest birds fly from the south, What if our poets all begin to sing; New England's hills are wounded by the sting That on his breath Euroclydon doth bring. Twice twenty days hath he tossed in my face Insolent airs, with tantalizing taunt; Behind fly on the Furies, all apace, Who on the breeze their phantom garments flaunt. Pierceth to every nook my footsteps haunt A blast,—might wither their tyrannic race! And yet I know that from this bitter birth Soon leaps an heir to gladden all the earth.

April by Adeline Treadwell Parsons Lunt

[graywyvern]

( via / via )

Bay of Whispers.

"Then, as it were, relieving the poet, the critic who studies him, in turn, must stand firm against those miseries and horrors, these disquieting shocks of reality--he must pick up the poet's verses, all twisted where disaster has struck him, and he must carry them further, like Drummond, to where there is tranquillity and leisure enough for him to point out what form and what sense the poet had tried to give them, to supply by his own judicial comments the straightness and the soundness they lack." --Edmund Wilson, "A Preface to Persius" (1927), from The Shores of Light

The Riverbed.

"Charitive Euroclydon"

synthesi- zer lashed subaqueous light global reign crea- ted from a clot · to have dealt with Sirius the clotted storms at the Red River

God-Emperor of Duino · red star in the rear glass of a truck · having imperceptibly slipped into splurge mode, as one drifts from one lane to

another where the dividing line is worn · two shades of turquoise windows · a stabbing headache from one point in the zenith · a large, cold, slowly

rotating rock planet · dawn- ings and sunsets that take days · tainted love · button down my micro-checked shirt while driving · coke bottle full of water

took me by the hand · led me far from this land along the em'rald river bottoms song of a cephalopod

Ruins of a World.

"my enlightenment would be a lonely one." --@ligotti_bot

Prehistoric New Species #40.

[kappavision]

Photos 1 - The old Verdala tunnel gate leading into Fort Verdala in Bormla, #Malta. Also known as Verdala Barracks, Fort Verdala is a fortified barracks built by the British in the 1850s within part of the bastions of the 17th century Santa Margherita Lines erected by the Knights of St. John. BRIEF OVERVIEW OF FORT VERDALA’S HISTORY The fort was used as a prisoner-of-war (POW) camp in both World Wars. High profile prisoners included a prince and Hitler's successor! - In the interwar period, Fort Verdala housed the Royal Marines, before being converted into a naval store. - In 1940, it was commissioned as a stone frigate with the name HMS Euroclydon, and was used as a school for children of Royal Navy personnel. The school was closed in 1939 due to the threat of aerial bombardment, and the fort became a POW camp once again. - In 1945, it briefly served as a demobilization centre, but was converted back into a naval school in 1947. - Although it was a school, the fort continued to house navy personnel and Maltese servicemen, and occasionally members of other Commonwealth navies, such as the Royal Pakistan Navy. - The fort was decommissioned and handed to the Government of Malta in 1977. - Nowadays, it is divided into government housing as well as a school. THE BRITISH PERIOD The British took over the Maltese islands at the start of the 19th century and Malta officially became part of the British Empire with the Treaty of Paris in 1814. Upon assessing one of the most important lines of defense in the country - the Santa Margherita Lines and the Cottonera Lines - they recognized their military potential. But with the Lines having been built nearly one and a half centuries earlier by the Knights of St. John, and given the advances made in warfare since then, they believed that once the enemy penetrated the outer ring, it could utilise the space in-between the lines to inflict great damage upon the inner ring. Full article on @KappaVision on Facebook. (at Cospicua) https://www.instagram.com/p/CiVLWFADpXP/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[bibleandlife]

“FISH, STORM, ISLAND”

This is not a Jeopardy question, But God does have a sense of humor! Fish, storm, and island are some of God’s modes of Transportations.” The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9.

JONAH AND THE WHALE

God told Jonah to arise and go to Nineveh and cry against the city because of their wickedness, but Jonah had other ideas. Let me just say: . He will put you in unpleasant situations, to grow you to mature you and to change you! Jonah :1:17 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Jonah 3: 3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. 10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

PAUL AND THE STORM, EUROCLYDON

Acts 23:11 And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome. Acts 28 And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Melita. 2 And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us everyone, because of the present rain, and because of the cold.

Paul was on a mission journey, yet he was in a storm. You would have thought that since he was in the will of God, why was he going through this terrible storm. They found themselves on an island with barbarous people who were exceedingly brutal, yet God stepped in, and turned them around and the began to show kindness to a bunch of strangers. Could it be that God had prepared their hearts to receive his words? Or, maybe they showed tremendous kindness because of the presence of the man of God. Never underestimate your storm, it could be your mode of transport to the next level of ministry. Bad things do happen to good people doing the will of God!

JOHN ON THE ISLE OF PATMOS

Revelation 1:9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

He wrote the Book of Revelation when he was banished to an island called Patmos for his testimony of Jesus. Patmos was a small rocky island in the Aegean Sea, south-west of Ephesus. The island was unable to produce anything: infertile and barren. Nothing grows there! How interesting that God would use such a desolate place to bring to John the Revelation of Jesus Christ!

It is amazing that during desolation and isolation, we did not read of John complaining to God. Because he had the right attitude towards his circumstances, God gave him 22 chapters of one of the greatest books of the entire Bible. A road map to the End of time of our world. What a tremendous loss and a tragedy we would have had if John had said “No God !“ “Not Me " I cannot do it! "I’m not qualify !” We probably would have had 65 books ending at Jude 1. But because of John's stance, he had one of the greatest revelation of all times helping you and me more than 2000 years later.

Don't allow your mode of transport to derail you from your walk with God. Don’t be discouraged, God is with you, and he is trying to make you in his own image. You will be victorious; you will overcome, and God will reveal himself in a greater way. Luke 14: 27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. Isaiah 43:2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.3 For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior.

savior

[officialyourdailyinspiration]

Crises of Love

by Aiden Wilson Tozer

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. - Romans 5:5

If we lived in a spiritual Utopia where every wind blew toward heaven and every man was a friend of God, we Christians could take everything for granted, counting on the new life within us to cause us to do the will of God without effort and more or less unconsciously.

Unfortunately we have opposing us the lusts of the flesh, the attractions of the world and the temptations of the devil. These complicate our lives and require us often to make determined moral decisions on the side of Christ and His commandments.

It is the crisis that forces us to take a stand for or against. The patriot may be loyal to his country for half a lifetime without giving much thought to it, but let an unfriendly power solicit him to turn traitor and he will quickly spurn its overtures. His patriotism will be brought out into the open for everyone to see. So it is in the Christian life.

When the “south wind blew softly” (Acts 27:13) the ship that carried Paul sailed smoothly enough and no one on board knew who Paul was or how much strength of character lay hidden behind that rather plain exterior. But when the mighty tempest, Euroclydon, burst upon them Paul’s greatness was soon the talk of everyone on the ship. The apostle, though himself a prisoner quite literally took command of the vessel, made decisions and issued orders that meant life or death to the people.

And I think the crisis brought to a head something in Paul that had not previously been clear even to him. Beautiful theory was quickly crystallized into hard fact when the tempest struck.

[alwaysrememberjesus]

Your “Euroclydon”

“A tempestuous head wind arose, called Euroclydon.” Ac 27:14 NKJV

The ship Paul was sailing on to Rome was wrecked by a storm named Euroclydon, meaning typhoon, tempest, or cyclone. Here are some valuable lessons we can learn from his experience.

(1) God can make a bad situation work for your good. Because of this shipwreck, Paul ended up on Malta, where the people heard the gospel for the first time. Plus, when he and his followers “departed, they provided such things as were necessary” (Ac 28:10 NKJV). Sometimes your problem can provide a platform for God to work in ways that’ll amaze you. Your future isn’t, nor ever will be, in the hands of people. It’s in God’s hands, and what He owns He protects and provides for.

(2) To reach your God-ordained destination you’ll have to sail through storms. Paul said, “All hope that we would be saved was finally given up” (Ac 27:20 NKJV). There’ll be days when you wonder how you’re going to make it, but by God’s grace you will (See Ps 37:34 TLB).

(3) Storms reveal how well you know the Lord. Paul said, “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’” (Ac 27:23-24 NIV). In hard times you discover the strength of your connection to God.

(4) He can bring success from what looks like failure. Notice two particular things in this story: (a) you may have to throw some things overboard to reach your destination (See v. 18). (b) Despite your best efforts, occasionally you’ll run aground (See v. 26). That’s when you must remember what God promised you—and stand on it (See v. 25).

[richo1915]

LEGATE, I had the news last night--my cohort ordered home

By ships to Portus Itius and thence by road to Rome.

I've marched the companies aboard, the arms are stowed below;

Now let another take my sword. Command me not to go!

I've served in Britain forty years, from Vectis to the Wall.

I have none other home than this, nor any life at all.

Last night I did not understand, but, now the hour draws near

That calls me to my native land, I feel that land is here.

Here where men say my name was made, here where my work was done;

Here where my dearest dead are laid--my wife--my wife and son;

Here where time, custom, grief and toil, age, memory, service, love,

Have rooted me in British soil. Ah, how can I remove?

For me this land, that sea, these airs, those folk and fields suffice.

What purple Southern pomp can match our changeful Northern skies,

Black with December snows unshed or pearled with August haze--

The clanging arch of steel-grey March, or June's long-lighted days?

You'll follow widening Rodanus till vine and olive lean

Aslant before the sunny breeze that sweeps Nemausus clean

To Arelate's triple gate: but let me linger on,

Here where our stiff-necked British oaks confront Euroclydon!

You'll take the old Aurelian Road through shore-descending pines

Where, blue as any peacock's neck, the Tyrrhene Ocean shines.

You'll go where laurel crowns are won, but--will you e'er forget

The scent of hawthorn in the sun, or bracken in the wet?

Let me work here for Britain's sake--at any task you will--

A marsh to drain, a road to make or native troops to drill.

Some Western camp (I know the Pict) or granite Border keep,

Mid seas of heather derelict, where our old messmates sleep.

Legate, I come to you in tears--My cohort ordered home!

I've served in Britain forty years. What should I do in Rome?

Here is my heart, my soul, my mind--the only life I know,

I cannot leave it all behind. Command me not to go!

The Roman Centurion’s Song. Rudyard Kipling 1911

[encourager98]

The Lessons I Learned From The Ship In The Storm

The Lessons I Learned From The Ship In The Storm

youtube.com/watch Acts 27:13-44 And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete. But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon. And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive. And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much…

[jeusussavearmyveteran1205]

"Every new year is an uncharted and unknown sea. No ship has ever sailed this way before. The wisest of earth's sons and daughters cannot tell us what we may encounter on this journey. Familiarity with the past may afford us a general idea of what we may expect, but just where the rocks lie hidden beneath the surface or when that "tempestuous wind called Euroclydon" may sweep down upon us suddenly, no one can say with certainty.... Now more than at any other time in generations, the believer is in a position to go on the offensive. The world is lost on a wide sea, and Christians alone know the way to the desired haven. While things were going well, the world scorned them with their Bible and hymns, but now the world needs them desperately, and it needs that despised Bible, too. For in the Bible, and there only, is found the chart to tell us where we are going on this rough and unknown ocean. The day when Christians should meekly apologize is over—they can get the world's attention not by trying to please, but by boldly declaring the truth of divine revelation. They can make themselves heard not by compromise, but by taking the affirmative and sturdily declaring, 'Thus saith the Lord.' " AW Tozer, This World: Playground or Battleground? pp. 9-10

[jpaulfontan]

Clinging to the

Promises of God

You remain in control In the middle of the war You guard my soul I take great comfort in knowing God’s in control, Don’t you? Hello! You’ve found the Senior Adult Sunday school class for Corinth Baptist Church in Singleton, Ms. The title of our lesson for today is:

Clinging to the

Promises of God

This will be the 2nd in a

5-session series under the general heading of; Facing Adversity.

We’ll be drawing Scripture from the 27th chapter of the Book of Acts.

You know, there are more than 7,000 promises from God to us written in His Word. One of the 1st things that came to my mind when I read that was the question: ”Why? I mean, why would God make so many promises to humanity?” The overriding answer to that would be that He wants for us to simply………….. trust Him. So, how can we know that this Bronze-Age book, the Bible, is really God’s word to us? That would be because the Bible proves itself. I don’t know of another book ever written that declares future events with unerring accuracy. Over 25% of the Bible is prophetic. Peter wrote in 2nd Peter 1:19-21; 19. So we have the

prophetic word

strongly confirmed.

You will do well to

pay attention to it,

as to a lamp shining

in a dismal place,

until the day dawns

and the morning star

rises in your hearts.

20. First of all,

you should know this:

No prophecy of Scripture

comes from one’s own

interpretation,

21. because no prophecy

ever came by the will of man;

instead, men spoke

from God as they were

moved by the Holy Spirit. God spoke through men the words of prophecy. But, can we really believe the prophesies, or the promises of God to us? Well, if many of the prophecies actually did come to pass when and where they were foretold, I’d say that was confirmation that the words of the Bible are true. To this day, we remember what happened on Palm Sunday. Jesus fulfilled the prophecy that He would come into Jerusalem riding on a donkey and be hailed as the King of the Jews. But did you know that He did this on exactly the day that Daniel had prophesied he would? Daniel made the prediction more than 500 years before it happened. Think about it. 500 years before it happened, a man wrote down the prophecy that the Messiah would enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey. AND, he predicted the exact day it would happen. That’s just one prophecy that was fulfilled exactly as it had been predicted. Anyone can go onto the internet, search for fulfilled prophecies, and discover that there are many, many of them. Many more are yet to be fulfilled; but they will be because so many of them have already proven the fact that the Bible is completely accurate. If the prophecies are true, certainly the promises are as well. And if the promises are true, then why wouldn’t we trust God completely? In today’s lesson we’ll be learning of Paul’s shipwreck as he is being taken to Rome. Paul demonstrates his unshakable faith and trust in God through this harrowing situation.

Section 1: Acts 27:21-24; 21. Since many were going without food, Paul stood up among them and said, “You men should have followed my advice not to sail from Crete and sustain this damage and loss. 22. Now I urge you to take courage, because there will be no loss of any of your lives, but only of the ship. 23. For this night an angel of the God I belong to and serve stood by me, 24. and said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar. And, look! God has graciously given you all those who are sailing with you.’ Finally, after two years of

being under arrest in

Caesarea, Paul was, at last

on his way to Rome.

But these folks

weren't on a sleek

catamaran zipping over

the waves and making

short work of a voyage

from Caesarea Maritime

to Rome.

Instead, they were

transferring from one

large, slow moving,

grain vessel to

another painstakingly

making their way

to their

destination.

It's late autumn and

their progress was

being hindered by

unfavorable winds.

The captain of the

vessel they were on

had intended to sail

west from Cnidus,

but instead had been

forced to sail

southwest toward

Crete.

They had sailed around

the southern coast of

Crete and landed at the

port of Fair Heavens.

The Roman Centurion

that was in charge of

the prisoners had

decided that this

would not be a good

place to hold up for

the winter; and the

captain of the grain

ship they were traveling

on said he was

confident that he could

make the crossing to

Italy.

The problem was that it

was late fall.

At this time of the year,

that region of the

Mediterranean experienced

seasonal storms called

Euroclydon, (U Rock Lee Don).

Like the American Nor'easter,

these storms were fierce and

could last for many days.

Paul had been warned in his

spirit to try to dissuade

the centurion and the captain

from attempting the crossing,

but didn't prevail.

Now they found themselves

in the midst of one of these

terrible storms.

The ship was being battered

and the 276 passengers and

crew were wrestling with

the very real fear that

they might not survive.

It was at this time that

Paul stood up and told them

that they should have

listened to him.

He didn't say that as an

"I told you so" but rather

that they might now

believe the words coming

out of his mouth.

He told them to take courage

because he had been informed

by an angel that though

the ship they were on was

going to be lost, none of

them were going to die.

Because they were all

aware of Paul's warning

not to leave Fair Heavens,

what he was now saying to

them carried the

weight of credibility.

Now, last week I pointed

out that Nero had ordered

the Christians in Rome

to be killed.

In the telling of that

episode, I voiced my

opinion that Paul had

probably not had the

opportunity to stand

before Caesar.

But in verse 24 of our

lesson for today,

the angel talking to

Paul on that storm-tossed

ship, told him that he

must stand before Caesar.

I don't know it he ever

actually did, the Bible

doesn't tell me one way or

the other.

But I want to make something

perfectly clear here.

Like an onion,

the Scriptures and God's

Truth comes to all of

us in layers.

When God so chooses for

each of us to discover

something deeper in His

Word, He'll peel back

another layer for us.

Who knows?

Maybe, some day, God will

show me in His Word,

of by His Spirit,

that Paul did, in fact,

have the opportunity to

stand before Nero.

Now, back to the Scripture

of today's lesson.

The message that Paul relayed

to the others on the ship

was a reassurance that they

were all going to survive

this terrible storm.

And it's the idea that

leads us into the next section.

It's entitled....

Section 2: Encourage Others to Trust in God. Acts 27:30-38;

30. Some sailors tried to escape from the ship; they had let down the skiff into the sea, pretending that they were going to put out anchors from the bow. 31. Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32. Then the soldiers cut the ropes holding the skiff and let it drop away.

33. When it was about daylight, Paul urged them all to take food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have been waiting and going without food, having eaten nothing. 34. Therefore I urge you to take some food. For this has to do with your survival, since none of you will lose a hair from your head.” 35. After he said these things and had taken some bread, he gave thanks to God in the presence of all of them, and when he broke it, he began to eat. 36. They all became encouraged and took food themselves. 37. In all there were 276 of us on the ship. 38. When they had eaten enough, they began to lighten the ship by throwing the grain overboard into the sea.

So, there again,

we see that they were

indeed on a ship

capable of carrying

over 250 passengers

and its very large

cargo of grain.

These weren't the

little boats

used by the fishermen

on the Sea of Galilee.

They were large,

sturdy wooden sailing ships

capable of

handling rough seas.

Before studying for

this lesson,

I just didn't know

what to make of

verse 30.

The author of

the lesson brought

out something interesting.

Verse 30 says that

"some sailors tried to

escape from the ship by

pretending they were

taking a skiff to put

out anchors."

These sailors were

trying to abandon ship.

From what I can see here,

Paul didn't tell the soldiers

what he knew the sailors

were really doing.

Instead, he just stopped

them from doing it by

warning the soldiers.

What the author of

today's lesson pointed out

was that these sailors

most likely were not

believers nor worshippers

of the God you and I

place our faith in.

For them,

salvation from their

gods had not come and

they had chosen to flee.

It would be tempting,

he goes on, to look down

our self-righteous noses

at them.

But the truth is that

all of us are prone to

a lack of faith during

times of trial and

difficulty.

But the thing is that

our God has proven His

faithfulness over and

over again.

When the Hebrews

cried out to God

from their bondage

in Egypt,

God sent Moses.

When Peter denied

Jesus, just as He said

he would,

Jesus was gracious and

restored him.

The Scriptures are full

of examples of this truth.

In our own lives,

over and over again,

all of us can point

to times when God

has proven Himself

trustworthy.

Even though we

know God is faithful,

Christians can struggle

to act in faith

in the moment,

especially in extremely

difficult situations.

When we're facing trying

times, right along with

unbelievers,

these are opportunities

for us to encourage them

to look outside of

themselves for hope to the only One

who can give it and

back it up.

This was what Paul

was doing onboard that

doomed ship that day.

Even though he was

a prisoner,

he rose above his

position and became

a fearless leader and

a beacon of hope for

everyone on-board.

The others on the ship

could see his confidence

in God.

When the rest of them

had lost their faith,

Paul was able to point

them to his God.

Section 3: Recognize the Fulfillment of What God Has Promised. Acts 27:39-44; 39. When daylight came, they did not recognize the land but sighted a bay with a beach. They planned to run the ship ashore if they could. 40. After casting off the anchors, they left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and headed for the beach. 41. But they struck a sandbar and ran the ship aground. The bow jammed fast and remained immovable, while the stern began to break up by the pounding of the waves.

42. The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners so that no one could swim away and escape. 43. But the centurion kept them from carrying out their plan because he wanted to save Paul, so he ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. 44. The rest were to follow, some on planks and some on debris from the ship. In this way, everyone safely reached the shore.

God’s angel had promised Paul that every one of the people on that ship were going to survive, even though they were going to lose the ship. Paul had told this to those on the ship. We serve a mighty God who says what He means, and means what He says. As the day broke, land was sighted, but they didn’t know where they were; they didn’t recognize it. But they did see a bay with a beach. The storm was still raging, so they decided to ram the ship onto it. But, as they tried sailing to it, they ran aground on a sandbar. They hit it hard and there was no way of getting free of it. The waves were hitting the stern, (the rear of the ship), with such force that they were actually tearing the ship apart. If they stayed on the ship, they’d all perish. The soldiers, knowing that they, themselves would be killed if the prisoners escaped, had already decided to execute them. But their commanding officer, the centurion, stopped them because he wanted to save Paul. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard and make for the beach. The rest would have to use boards and anything else that would float to get to land. Just as God had promised, everyone made it to safety. Yes, God was in control through it all. He had worked in the heart of the Centurion to preserve the lives of all of the prisoners. The Bible tells us the centurion did this to save Paul’s life. All of the prisoners’ lives were saved because of Paul. Everyone’s lives were in peril as the ship was being torn apart by the waves. But, in breaking the ship apart, God was providing the very thing those who couldn’t swim so desperately needed at that time…… planks. God gave Paul through the angel a specific promise; he would preach the gospel in Rome, and that everyone on the ship would survive the storm. Like Paul and his companions, God doesn’t give us the details of how He’s going to accomplish His promises. One promise that God makes to all of us is; ”We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.” God will take all the nuances of our various stories, both the good and the bad, and work them together for our good. That phrase, ”all things,” means just that, every experience in life that we have encountered. So, if you find yourself in a storm, a really difficult time in life, recognize that it won’t last forever. If you’re enduring a season of deep pain and woundedness, realize God’s promise to work all things for good remains true. God comforts us during our seasons of affliction so that He can heal us and we can, in turn, pass that comfort on to others who are suffering, knowing that God always keeps His promises.

God requires His followers to place their trust in Him, not only for the salvation of their souls but also for the care of each of their steps. We must be unwavering in our commitment to

Call upon the Lord when we’re struggling with trusting Him. He’s worthy of our trust, and we must fight to remind ourselves of this truth. Because God’s fulfilled His greatest promise in providing salvation through Jesus, we are now free to live fulfilling the great commission without wavering, even when our work seems futile and the future unsure. We can remain faithful even when we don’t have all the details God has prepared for us in the future. His Word tells us that He has prepared good works for us to do. We can be confident in God’s protection and preservation over His people to complete His mission. Let’s pray: Help us, Lord to cling to your promises

Help us Lord to Trust you and boldly proclaim your truth Help us Lord to Encourage others to trust in you. We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.