GOD Morning! July 27, Keep Wishing

GOD Morning! July 27

Keep Wishing

Acts 27:27-44

²⁷ The fourteenth night had come and we were drifting and being driven about in the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors began to suspect that they were drawing near to some land.

Do you find yourself drifting and being tossed around in a storm? Wondering why is a total waste of time.

²⁸ So they took soundings and found twenty fathoms, and a little farther on they sounded again and found fifteen fathoms.

The Cambridge Dictionary meaning of “take soundings” is “to ask questions in order to collect information or opinions.”

 

Merriam Websters definition of sounding is:

: a measurement of the depth of water

: something that is done to find out what people think about something

²⁹ Then fearing that we might fall off [our course] onto rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and kept wishing for daybreak to come.

Drop anchor. Access your situation. And keep wishing. Childlike faith is key to surviving a storm.

³⁰ And as the sailors were trying to escape [secretly] from the ship and were lowering the small boat into the sea, pretending that they were going to lay out anchors from the bow,

³¹ Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, Unless these men remain in the ship, you cannot be saved.

³² Then the soldiers cut away the ropes that held the small boat, and let it fall and drift away.

A secret plan of escape is the worst thing you can do. You will go down for sure. Stay put.

³³ While they waited until it should become day, Paul entreated them all to take some food, saying, This is the fourteenth day that you have been continually in suspense and on the alert without food, having eaten nothing.

³⁴ So I urge (warn, exhort, encourage, advise) you to take some food [for your safety]—it will give you strength; for not a hair is to perish from the head of any one of you.

³⁵ Having said these words, he took bread and, giving thanks to God before them all, he broke it and began to eat.

³⁶ Then they all became more cheerful and were encouraged and took food themselves.

Cheer up. Take some relaxation breaks. Breathe. Enjoy simple things. Preparing and eating good food, coffee, walks, whatever you enjoy doing.

³⁷ All told there were 276 souls of us in the ship.

³⁸ And after they had eaten sufficiently, [they proceeded] to lighten the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea.

Lighten your load. Rid your life of whatever it is that may hinder or prevent your rescue. Pray about it. Wheat was necessary. But they had to let go of everything that was weighing the ship down.

³⁹ Now when it was day [and they saw the land], they did not recognize it, but they noticed a bay with a beach on which they [taking counsel] purposed to run the ship ashore if they possibly could.

Many times, you won’t recognize your answer. It may look a little hazy.

⁴⁰ So they cut the cables and severed the anchors and left them in the sea; at the same time unlashing the ropes that held the rudders and hoisting the foresail to the wind, they headed for the beach.

Head for the beach! 

Prayerfully move toward what seems to be your answer. Most of the time, God’s answer seems very unlikely. And a little random. It may be difficult to take this leap of faith. Cut the cables, sever the anchors, and unlash the ropes! You are about to move to safety.

⁴¹ But striking a crosscurrent (a place open to two seas) they ran the ship aground. The prow stuck fast and remained immovable, and the stern began to break up under the violent force of the waves.

Seriously? They were almost to safety when things got a LOT worse.

I’d say 99% of the time, I run into some difficulty as I move toward my answer. My first response is to question my decision. But I must keep moving to safety.

⁴² It was the counsel of the soldiers to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim to land and escape;

There are those who want to see you fall. Don’t worry about them. Jesus has got your back.

⁴³ But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, prevented their carrying out their purpose. He commanded those who could swim to throw themselves overboard first and make for the shore,

⁴⁴ And the rest on heavy boards or pieces of the vessel. And so it was that all escaped safely to land.

There is a 100% chance that you will escape out of this storm. Just hold on tightly to Jesus’ nail scarred hand.

“Jesus, I pray for that one who is stuck in a storm. She longs to secretly escape. She is exhausted. Please encourage her with these words today. You understand storms. You have been through plenty of storms. You speak to the winds and waves and they obey. Thank You for Your long, strong arm of safety. Please help her to grab on for dear life. Thank You Jesus. You are our ever present help in time of trouble. AMEN.”

“Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save,
    nor his ear too dull to hear.” Isaiah 59:1