Up and Down – Acts 27:20

Acts 27:20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.

It is easy to lose hope, or at least be on the road leading to hopelessness. Life has a way of throwing circumstance our direction that send us into a tailspin. Losing our bearings happens more than we are willing to admit.

As a Marriage and Family Therapist, I see people every day that have lost their anchor point. They are drifting, being carried by every wind and shift in tidal wave. They have lost connection, usually with the LORD, and just as often, they have lost connection with the important people in their lives.

And when people are adrift like this, they don’t have a clear sense of purpose and direction. They aim at nothing and consequently hit nothing. They don’t see any progress, because wave motion is circular, never really moving you anywhere but up and down. Sounds a lot like so many people, up and down, up and down.

Here Paul and his companions are, on a ship in a storm. It has gotten so bad during the storm, they have thrown all the cargo overboard! All their profit out the window and into the sea. That is desperate. A loss like this could end a merchant ship owner’s career. Even back then, it took money to keep crews hired and supplies purchased.

But this storm is so bad, that just doesn’t matter. They then jettison all their sailing gear. Ropes, winches, sails, pulleys, stop blocks. Everything goes overboard in an effort to keep afloat. These men have done all this, but they still don’t have hope.

Imagine being in a relentless storm for two weeks in a relatively small vessel, getting thrown up and down and being pushed by the wind itself, without the aid of sails. They are in the Mediterranean Sea, small for modern vessels, but huge for ancient ones, especially when you are used to harbor hopping, always within the sight of some land.

Notice that the author, Luke, states that “we” gave up all hope of being saved. It wasn’t just the professional sailors who had given up hope, or the passengers, all 276 people on board had given up hope! Paul was in that group as well.

But then the LORD gives Paul a dream, and a message of hope and deliverance.  This is what turns their lives around. They are going to make it through this!

Sometimes this is the only message we need to hear. But it can be really difficult to hear this kind of message when you have been up and down for so long. I am sure there are some who were on that ship who didn’t believe Paul’s message and words of encouragement. They preferred to stay stuck in uncertainty.

But then Paul’s words came to fruition. The ship broke apart, but all on board were spared death. No Coast Guard to call. There was no need. The LORD saw them and provided the winds to carry them to the shore.

So when we feel like life is up and down, just remember that the LORD wants to blow us in His direction. He will provide insight and hope to those who are willing to listen to His voice, even in the middle of a storm.

So listen today.