27 When the fourteenth night had come, as we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land. 28 So they took a sounding and found twenty fathoms. A little farther on they took a sounding again and found fifteen fathoms. 29 And fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. 30 And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, and had lowered the ship’s boat into the sea under pretense of laying 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 away the ropes of the ship’s boat and let it go.
33 As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing. 34 Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength, for not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you.” 35 And when he had said these things, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat. 36 Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37 (We were in all 276 persons in the ship.) 38 And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea.
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, 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.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
After two weeks in the storm, the sailors suspected that they were nearing land. They measured the depth by dropping a line with lead on it and found that it was decreasing from about 35 meters to 25 meters deep. Scared that they might run aground on some rocks, they dropped four anchors and prayed for day to come. The sailors planned to escape the ship. They had lowered the skiff while pretending to lower anchors from the front of the ship. Paul warned the centurion that unless everyone remained on the boat they would not all be saved as promised. The soldiers then cut the ropes and let the lifeboat float away.
As the day was about to dawn, Paul urged everyone to eat some food because they hadn’t eaten for fourteen days. He reminded them of God’s promise that all would survive and encouraged them to eat to regain some strength. Then he took some bread, gave thanks to God in front of everyone, broke the bread, and began to eat. His actions sound a lot like the Lord’s Supper, but it wouldn’t have been because most of the people on the ship would not have been believers. Instead, Paul was publicly acknowledging God as the provider of their food. He was saying grace before eating. Paul’s eating encouraged everyone else and they all ate some food. Luke mentions that there were 276 people on board the ship. After eating, they lightened the ship further by throwing the wheat into the sea.
When day broke they did not recognise the land but noticed a bay with a beach that they could run ashore. They released the anchors and hoisted the foresail to make a run for the beach. But they stuck fast to a reef and the back of the ship began to break up. The soldiers, who were personally responsible for their prisoners at the cost of their own lives, planned to kill the prisoners rather than letting them escape. But the centurion, motivated to save Paul stopped them. He ordered those who could swim to head for the beach and the rest held on to planks and pieces of the ship and everyone made it to shore. Just as God had promised, everyone survived but they lost their ship as they ran aground on some island (Acts 27:24-26).
Sometimes our lives can feel a bit like a ship tossed at sea about to wreck. In a situation like that are you more inclined to act frantically seeking some measure of control, or are you able to rest in the promises of God and calmly focus on what matters and rest in the knowledge that God is in control?
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Hearing and Applying: James 1-2