.

.

Saturday 22 February 2014

Finding Him Again and Again; Part 2

So I realize the prior blog was a lot about my experiences and not so much based on scripture. So last night I really wanted to Lord to reveal to me a passage about this battle that I keep failing. Your battle may be different. I knew I was being disobedient after everything, I still was stuck. So I just begged God to not be angry with me, I couldn't take another person disappointed in me.

Then I opened my bible to Acts, and not recalling this story before, I received hope and a newness that I ached for.  I am going to type out the chapter, but you don't have to read it all.

The Storm; Acts 27:13-25

13 When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. 14 Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the Northeaster, swept down from the island. 15 The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboatsecure, 17 so the men hoisted it aboard. Then they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Because they were afraid they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor[a] and let the ship be driven along. 18 We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. 19 On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.


21 After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete;then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. 22 But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. 23 Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me 24 and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ 25 So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. 26 Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island. 



The significance in the passage that has to do with what I am talking about, lies within verse 21 and 22.  Paul was saying to the men that even though you were DISOBEDIENT and went the WRONG way knowingly, YOU WILL NOT BE LOST. Put your faith in God! Paul says "you should have taken my advice, but NOW[that you have entered the consequences of your sin, now that this storm has come because of your disobedience] I urge you to keep up your courage!" Not that you have brought the storm upon yourself you have to fight! God may not have wanted you to get into this mess, he doesn't want you to be hurting or stuck in this rut, but listen to Pauls words. Have courage!!! Only the ship will be destroyed. Now I'm no hermeneutics professor or theologian, but my opinion is that the ship could represent our sin, the thing that is driving us away from what God instructs us. For me it represents that God is chipping away and destroying our flesh as we grow closer to him, getting rid of the 'ship', and we will be spared because we are his. Another aspect of this verse is the fact that Paul promises deliverance but in 26 they have to stop and wait at a island because the storm is too bad. This can paint a picture, representing that it may take us longer to get where we were meant to be because of our disobedience, we may have to stop and allow God to work in us before moving forward.  In a sermon, John MacDonald said a very wise thing, "We should be living like we already won, because we have, Christ has already won for us, the victory is ours." Run the race like you are a winner, not a loser, because as long as you have accepted Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, you can't lose!!! Amen!!

No comments:

Post a Comment