In this Bible Story, Paul endures storms and shipwrecks with his captors on their journey to Rome. The winds and waves are relentless, and the hope of the men is fading. The men are left shipwrecked and defeated on the shores of Malta. This story is inspired by Acts 27. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.
Today's Bible verse is Acts 27:44 from the King James Version.
Episode 240: As Paul was on the ocean on his way to trial, Luke was by his side and the two of them enjoyed a brief reprieve, chatting with the sailors in the open air. However, on their way to Crete, a powerful storm came upon them and began to break the ship apart and flood it with water. But God came to Paul and reassured him that he and the crew would make it to Rome. The storm continued to rage a few more days and then finally let up. As they were about to run the ship aground it caught reef and broke apart. Just as the soldiers were getting ready to kill the prisoners to keep them from escaping, the centurion ordered them to stop for the sake of Paul.
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Let us pray, and the rest, some on boards and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass that they escaped, all safe to land, Acts twenty seven forty four. As I continue on the journey to my destiny, and when the storms of life begin to beat on the ship of my life, I will urge those around me that God will bring us through because the Lord is with me. Use me, Lord to encourage those around me, even my enemies, that you have not forsaken us just because we have experienced a shipwreck. Moment through Paul's story in Acts twenty seven, I will celebrate the fact that whether I come in one piece or whether my life arrives in pieces, I will get to my final destination no matter what. Thank you Jesus that the current of your favor will move me in the direction of my intended location. I am never lost when I put my hope and trust in You Lord in Jesus name, Amen, thank you for making prayer a priority in your day. To learn more about the Bible, stay tuned for today's story, brought to you by Bible in a year dot com.
The Mighty Storm. In our last story, Paul stood before King Agrippa, telling his story and facing trial. Agrippa was pleased with Paul, but did not set him free. Instead, Paul was sent to Rome, where he would face the judgment of Caesar. Now we hear of Paul's journey to Rome. He sets sail with Roman soldiers, sailors, and prisoners. Paul seemed well until a mighty storm beat against the ship. Now Paul is forced to be a leader and comforter amidst a beast of nature inspired by the Book of Acts.
Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible. In a year in our previous time together, Paul appeared before Felix, the governor, and gave his defense against the false accusations of the Jewish leaders. Felix did not make a ruling, but left Paul under house arrest for two years. Then we heard as Paul gave his testimony before King Agrippa, a compelling, persuasive witness that nearly won the king for Christ. The king was inclined to release Paul, but because he had appealed to Caesar, he was sent off to appear before the most powerful man in the world. Today, we'll hear how Paul, under guard of Roman soldiers, and with his friend and physician Luke by his side, sails towards Rome. Along the way, a mighty storm will arise, and Paul will answer the call to comfort those who feared for their lives. Let's listen now to the day's word from the Book of Acts.
The wind blew gently across the Mediterranean Sea. Paul looked above him, watching the sails flap in the wind. The seagulls flew idle behind the large sails, watching for any bread to fall below. Although Paul was going to Rome to face trial, he was thankful to be out of prison. The inviting sun and cool ocean breeze restored clarity to his mind. Although his body still ached from the beating, he rejoiced that he was able to stand in the sunlight. Luke was beside him, chronicling every moment of Paul's journey. He was a doctor and able to tend to Paul's injuries while out at sea. The two of them spoke to the sailors, connecting with them about the things of God. As they sailed across the ocean towards Italy. The south wind blew softly, giving the captain the go ahead to set course for crete. As the sails caught the wind, the ship picked up speed. Its large frame bounced up and down over the ocean wakes. They were drawing close to shore, and all seemed well until the south breeze shifted and a strong wind replaced it. The wind was from the northeast and it was an antagonizing foe for the captain and his crew. They pulled tightly on the sails to keep course, but the wind was ripping at the side of the ship, throwing it out. The crew managed to secure a course along a small island called Kuda. However, the wind made it impossible to drop anchor. They secured the cargo and braced for the wind to thrash even more. Then the rains came. They beat down relentlessly like arrows. For days. There were no stars or sun, only darkness and water. Although the ship had not sunk, there was no hope for being rescued. As the men were protecting themselves and the deck paul stood up, the winds howled above them, and the boat was rocking endlessly. Do not be afraid, men, for God has promised that we will get out of this, there will be no loss of life among you, for I am destined to get to Rome. His words brought little comfort as the beastly storm roared above them. It had been two weeks of the unrelenting tempest. They were rationing food, preparing for an even longer journey ahead. The ship was forced towards a group of jagged rocks near the island. If the captain did not act quickly, the whole crew would be lost, so he ordered for all the anchors to be dropped at once. The chains were released, and the ship was forced into a steady halt Before it reached a rocky grave. The rain beat down even harder, and Paul could see a faint image of men preparing to jump overboard towards the rocks. Many of the sailors looked at the rocks for salvation. They considered jumping ship and swimming for the island, but Paul urged it you will meet an untimely death.
Paul yelled.
The men stopped and cursed at Paul, but they listened. The rain stopped, but the winds continued to howl. The waves filled the deck with water. They were like small giants beating against the side of the ship. Paul saw that the men were losing strength. They had deprived themselves of food to ration. Paul went down into the ship to retrieve some bread. He broke it, blessed it, and fed it to the men. You will need your strength, Paul said gently. You will not perish because of the sea or from starvation. The Lord is with you. Paul continued to smile, grateful for the opportunity to serve his captors. He was strengthened by the spirit of God. The men had set sail when the wind subsided and the dawn broke through the clouds. As the sun rose above the waters, the dim image of shore revealed itself through the fog. The men were encouraged and set course to run the ship on to the sand. However, they did not see the jagged reef dwelling below. As they approached the shore with hope, the boat's bottom began to tear apart from the sharp reef. The men were thrown forward, and the boat's integrity began to perish. The waves crashed against the stern, and the entire ship began to sink. The soldiers knew that they had to jump ship. However, they could not control the prisoners once they were in the water, so they drew their swords to kill the prisoners on board. The centurion saw this and ordered his men to stop immediately. He had grown close to Paul and did not desire to see him perish. So the sailors, soldiers and prisoners jumped ship together. The waves crashed over them, and many were held under the water for minutes at a time, But the Lord was in the sea. The current pushed them forward, and the waves hastily threw them towards the shore. Broken and exhausted, all the men made it safely to shore.
We began today's reaping as Paul begins his journey to Rome, sailing across the Mediterranean Sea. This was not a NonStop straight shot to Caesar. Their voyage took them to ports throughout Asia Minor. Paul, though a prisoner, enjoyed a degree of freedom as they traveled, even getting to visit friends in port cities as they stopped. Luke was traveling with Paul, chronicling the trip and caring for Paul as his personal physician. As they traveled. Paul and Luke would no doubt have shared the Gospel with Roman soldiers and the sailors on the ship. As their time at sea lengthened, the waters became less and less favorable for sailing. Paul even warned the Centurions that their voyage would prove to be costly, both in supplies and their own well being. But the Centurion listened to the captain of the ship and moved forward. Then, just as Paul had predicted, as they sailed a course for crete, the winds began to pick up, and soon they were caught up in a storm that was too mighty for the ship to deal with. They were blown off course, and as they hung on for dear life, they began tossing cargo and tackle overboard. If you've ever been on a rough sea, you know how difficult this can be, even if it's just for a short while. They were in this storm three days with no stars or sun in the sky to guide them. The crew and the passengers had been many days without food. They were weary and worried, to the point that they lost all hope of survival. That's when Paul stood up and spoke to them, saying an angel of the Lord had appeared to him, telling him he was to appear before Caesar and that his God had promised that no life would be lost, only the ship. Then, in Acts twenty seven twenty five, he says this, So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. When we find ourselves in the middle of the storms of life, we need to ask God to teach us as to how He can grow us in our faith and always advanced positively through adversity. But here's something else we need to remember. God puts us in storms not only to perfect and correct us, but to use us to be a witness and a testimony to others. When we fight our own battles or face our own storms, we have an opportunity to trust in God and to show our faith as well as share our faith with others. We have seen time and again in scripture how God works in the storms of life to reveal his powerful, miraculous, mighty hand in order to turn people to him. This is another example of how to deal with the storms of life. Paul the prisoner was now Paul the Leader and comforter. Again he is Paul the Pastor. He urged the captain to run the ship ashore, for this was the only way to save those on board. The storm, which had lasted two weeks already, was still not over. They were without hardly any strength, so Paul broke some of the remaining bread, thanking God, and give it to the men to eat. They navigated to an island and began trying to find a safe place away from the rocks to land, but to no avail. As the ship was forced closer to periless rocks, they ran into a reef. The ship was lost, but land was within reach. The soldiers feared the prisoners would escape, which would mean death for the soldiers for their failure, so they planned to kill them, including Paul. Fortunately, the centurion had grown to trust Paul and stop them. Everyone on the ship reached land safely, just as Paul had said. Once again, God's promises proved true as they always do. This experience, though terrifying, enable Paul to minister to lost men and point them to the God who saves. You may not understand why life storms come up, but when they do, God will use you to point others to Jesus if you will let him. Let's pray, Dear God, thank you that through the storms of life, that you are always with us to give us courage and strength. We thank you for your presence, your powerful presence in our lives. We pray that we would comfort others with the comfort that we are comforted and the courage that you give us that we would impart to others. Thank you for today's reading that reminds us of this truth in Jesus' name, Amen, Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download thepray dot com app and make prayer and Bible study the priority of your life. If you enjoyed this podcast, share it with someone you love, because by sharing this with others, you can make a difference in their lives, a big, big difference. You can help ensure that more and more people hear these life changing readings from God's Word. 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Hello, I'm doctor Tony Evans, and I'm excited to have you join me on this new podcast, Heroes in the Bible. Come to me, Boy, you and your God will crumble beneath my feet.
He beckoned the giant and said.
I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts and creator of the stars.
You know we all have giants that we face in our life, and when you understand that the greatness of God affects our ability to handle the giants of life, it will encourage, inspire and challenge all of us to our faith in God and our growth in Jesus Christ.
Look past his height and appearance. Samuel for man sees the outward appearance. They see the strength of the man's arms, but the Lord looks into the heart.
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