The Voice of Reason in the Time of Disaster

Acts 27:22-26 ESV
“Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.  For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship,  and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’  So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.  But we must run aground on some island.”

Paul was sailing to Rome as a prisoner, but the voyage was thwarted by a violent storm. The Lord, wanted to spare Paul’s life so that he could go to Rome to face Caesar. So the Lord sent an angel to Paul to tell him exactly what they have to do to be saved and how to spare all lives.

The curious statement from the angel to Paul was, “God has granted you all those who sail with you.” Not the opposite, all those you are sailing with. It was almost like Paul was in charge, as a prisoner. He was the voice of reason not to sail, he was the voice of reason when everyone had lost hope and were assuming they were going to die.

It was Paul that told them to eat to get enough strength for what was ahead when they went without food for fourteen days. It was Paul who told them to stay together. It was Paul that told them that they were to be shipwrecked on an island.

The prisoner was the encourger and the voice of reason. When things are bad at home, bad a work, bad in America, bad in the world, we have to be the encourgers, the voice of reason, the hope when hope is lost.

Prayer:
Lord, when things look bleak, let me be the one that exudes joy. When things look hopeless, let me show and speak hope. When life looks impossible, let me lead others to You, the Author of possibilities.