Daily Devotional Friday 26th June 2020
by William MoodyActs 27:39–44
The Shipwreck
39 Now when it was day, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned if possible to run the ship ashore. 40 So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that tied the rudders. Then hoisting the foresail to the wind they made for the beach. 41 But striking a reef,1 they ran the vessel aground. The bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was being broken up by the surf. 42 The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape. 43 But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, 44 and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land.
Footnotes
[1] 27:41
Or sandbank, or crosscurrent; Greek place between two seas (ESV)
Paul and his travelling companions don’t realise that they are drawing close to the island of Malta (v39). They head for the beach but hit a sand bar some way from the shore (v40-41).
Paul and the other prisoners are now in danger not just from the sea but from the soldiers (v42). Letting prisoners escape would likely have meant execution for the soldiers. But the centurion steps in to save Paul (v43).
Was this lucky? Not a bit of it. The sovereign Lord was overruling and using this man to protect His beloved servant. Even the unsaved can be wonderfully used by God.
Through either swimming or by floating with pieces of the shut everyone go to the safety of the beach (v44). God’s promise that none would be lost was kept (see v22).
In the storms of life the believer needs to be confident that God is in control of everything whether that is the big things like storms or the little things like the individual actions of individual people. We have a great God and there is nothing too big or too small that is outside His loving control. Praise God for such wonderful truth. Do you really believe this?
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