Devotional GOD’S PROTECTION

“And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest… But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying , Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.” Acts 27:18, 21-24.

Rev. José A. Soto Benavides

GOD’S PROTECTION

Before his arrest in Jerusalem, Paul talked to governors Festus and Felix, to king Agrippa and then to the Roman Emperor. He had been accused by the Jews of fomenting uprisings and being the leader of the Nazarene sect.

Paul, who had decided to go to Rome to fulfill the Lord’s will some time before, made this journey as both a prisoner and missionary. The Bible tells that Paul was with other 270 prisoners on a ship of Adramyttium that would have brought him to the coast of Asia Minor. When they arrived in Sidon, the Roman centurion “gave him liberty to go unto his friends to refresh himself ” (Acts 27:3). These friends were people who recognized Paul and his work, though there were also people who attacked and rejected him.

Some days later, they took an Alexandrine ship to cross the Mediterranean towards Italy. As they sailed deeper and deeper, the wind went increasingly violent. They managed to pass by Cyprus and Crete and reached The Safe Havens, and Paul advised the centurion to stay there because a storm was upon them, but he “believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul” (Acts 27:11).

Back in open sea they faced the violent winds of Euroclydon. The ship was dragged away and, unable to resist the storm, they let it drift away. For many days they saw neither sun nor stars, but only a strong storm raged about them.

In those circumstances, Paul resorted to the Lord and said to the crew: “… For there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship” (Acts 27:22). They did not even want to eat, but Paul encouraged them by saying: “For there stood by me this

night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee” (Acts 27:23-24). The soldiers on the ship had the mission to bring the prisoners to Rome at all costs. If prisoners escaped, soldiers had to pay with their lives. When they struck the ship, the soldiers decided to kill the prisoners, including Paul, so that no one would swim away. However, when the centurion learned about their intentions, he allowed the prisoners to swim to land safely in order to save the apostle.

The ship ran aground the Maltese islands. Winter was really cold in that place; prisoners, soldiers and natives all gathered around a big fire. However, while Paul was gathering a bundle of dry branches and placing them on the fire, a viper clung to his hand.

The natives, who were expecting him to fall dead any moment, wondered what kind of murderer he was, because he had escaped from the shipwreck but death would not let him live. But Paul shared God’s blessings. As the hours passed by, seeing that he was unharmed, they began to say that he was a god, but Paul told them that he was not.

Beloved, the devil wanted to stop Paul from fulfilling God’s plan. Nature showed no mercy to him, the soldiers wanted to kill him, and the devil himself (in the form of a serpent) tried to stop him, but he could not. A Movement was established on the island, instead.

Once in Rome, while Paul waited to appear in court, he “dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him” (Acts 28:30-31). God granted him victory!