DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- SURVIVING THE STORMS

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- SURVIVING THE STORMS

"And because we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, the next day they lightened the ship. On the third day, we threw the ship's tackle overboard with our own hands. Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up." (Acts 27:18-20)

The Apostle Paul had appealed to Caesar, and he, along with Luke and Aristarcus, set sail for Italy. Things went fairly well until they ran into a huge storm called Euroclydon – probably a hurricane – and they could not make any headway. The ship was so battered that they had to run cables to undergird the ship to keep it from breaking up. In an attempt to keep the ship afloat, they threw the tackle overboard. Things looked very grim, and all hope of surviving this storm was lost. By God's gracious hand, when the ship ran aground and broke up, not a soul was lost.

We go through our own tempests. Storms toss us to and fro and we do not see how we can survive. Disaster is imminent. Hope is lost. We can trust God to bring us through the storms, but in the process we may find that we need to get rid of extra baggage in our lives – even things we think we cannot live without.

We may still lose everything, but the process helps us see what our priorities are. Is an unforgiven offense a burden we carry? Maybe it is time to pitch it overboard. Do we think we cannot live without some of the amenities of life? Maybe we will find we can live without them. Do we think that life consists in the abundance of the things we possess? Perhaps we will find that the simple life is better.

God allows tempests to toss us around, but they are all in His control. He has purposes, to help us see what is truly important in this life, and look to fix our eyes on the eternal. As the Apostle Paul wrote: "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, and not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:1-3).

We can rest secure in the knowledge that our lives are hidden with Christ in God, even in the storms.

Love, Dad