In Unrelenting Storms
“And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.” Acts 27:22 NKJV
Paul was on a sailing voyage to Rome. From the time the ship set sail, it faced contrary winds and difficulties. Despite these difficulties and Paul’s warning to them through the Holy Spirit of imminent disaster, they decided to press on. With each passing day, their situation grew more desperate and they did what they could in the natural to fight for their survival against this unrelenting storm that had captured them. Things grew so bad that they could see neither the sun in the day or the stars at night for many days because of the intensity of the storm. This constant battle-wearied the men until finally all hope had been given up. It is at this moment that Paul stood in the midst of the hopeless men and spoke the words we see in the verse above.
Often in this life, we face storms that we did not see coming and that we hope will just soon pass. But when we face those storms that just keep building and intensifying we begin to lose hope, just as the men on the ship with Paul did. If that storm continues for days we come to a place where we can no longer see what is ahead of us with any sense of hope. We only see the storm. And since we have only seen the storm day after day we come to a place where we expect that tomorrow will be just like today, with the storm unabated and even gather in intensity. We come to a place where we just expect the storm to be there tomorrow as it has been for so many days previous.
But things can change in an instant. Paul spoke the Word of God that had been spoken to Him and every single man on that ship survived. It does not matter how long you may have faced the storm you are currently caught up in, things can change in an instant with the Word of God and trust in Him. Speak the Word of God over your unrelenting storm and expect that tomorrow will be better than today, not worse. Expect that you will, in the end, be delivered whole and safe just as the men on the ship with Paul were. Take your eyes off the storm and put your trust and reliance on Him and you will see His deliverance. That which you thought would be lost, shall be safeguarded by Him.
In unrelenting storms, even when you feel weary, look to Him with hope because, in the Word, things can change in an instant.
J Todd Hostetler