Jettison the Cargo! Part II

In Part I of "Jettison the Cargo!", we left the Apostle Paul a prisoner being transported to Rome on board a ship that had been caught in a fierce storm. At a time when "all hope of being saved was gradually abandoned", an angel of the Lord had appeared to Paul and told him not to be afraid; that he would stand before Caesar and that God had also granted that all those sailing with him would be saved from the storm as well. He was told there would be no loss of life but that they would run aground on a certain Island. We ended Part I with Paul encouraging the other men on the ship with the angelic message that he had received and with this statement of faith; “I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told".

Before I go on to Acts 27:27, I must take a moment and comment a little further on verses 23 and 26. In verse 23, Luke recorded a statement made by the Apostle Paul that speaks of the unique relationship that each believer has with God in Christ. "The God to whom I belong" were the words that he spoke. Yes, we are His! We have been bought with the precious blood of the Lamb! So many people in this world struggle each day with a sense of not belonging. It can mean much to the heart and soul to belong. What a privilege for those who have found themselves the recipients of His lavished grace! Oh the peace and contentment that can be enjoyed by those who belong to God.

In verse 26 Paul spoke of a "certain island" that they would run aground upon. Ours is not a God of chance. Ultimately, He would control the winds and the currents and cause them to run aground, not just on any island, but a certain island, where He would also provide for them. He would work in such a way as to minister to both the inhabitants of the island and those who would find themselves shipwrecked there. Perhaps we ought to be more thankful for that certain spouse that is ours, that certain child He has given us, that certain job or home He has provided or that certain church He has allowed us to be a part of. May we grow in our appreciation of the One who has blessed us so.

Continuing on now in verses 27-29, Luke tells us that following the 14th night since leaving Fair Havens, while being "driven about in the Adriatic Sea"; the sailors began to sense that they were approaching land. At around midnight they began to take soundings to determine the water's depth and to see, if indeed, they were nearing land. They first found the depth to be 20 fathoms and a little further found it to be 15 fathoms. This seemed to confirm their belief that they were approaching land. They became worried that they would run aground in the middle of the night. In verse 29 we find them casting "four anchors from the stern" in hopes of stopping the ship's progress towards land, so they could wait out the darkness of the night.

Anchoring from the stern is not the recommended way to anchor a ship or boat, but desperate situations can call for, or cause us to take desperate measures. Anyway, we find more lessons for the believer in Christ here. It is important for us to trust in the Lord and His promises during the difficult "storms of life". We may be tempted to, "cast anchors from the stem", if you will, when doing so may actually put us in greater danger. It is often during these times, that through prayer and perseverance, we need to hold on and stand firm to the truths of His word. Although the morning light does not always come as quickly as we might wish, it does come. And even when there seems to be no "morning light" to see by, even in the light of a dreary day, there is the dawn of "morning light" in the One who is Light.

In verses 30-31 we find some of the sailors attempting to escape from the ship by lowering the lifeboat into the sea, pretending that they were going to lie out anchors from the bow. Given the danger of having thrown anchors from the stern, this would have made sense. But Paul was moved to speak out and tell the centurion and the soldiers that, "unless these men remain in the ship, you yourselves cannot be saved". What a great reminder of a great truth. God had determined a certain way of salvation and salvation would not to be found outside of His provision. Of course, this is not new. In the days of Noah, salvation was found in the Ark and nowhere else. And in Acts 4:12, Luke records the Lord's proclamation through the Apostle Peter’s words, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved”.

I pray that it may be different one day. But in the day that I write this article, there are many who profess faith in Christ, some who are even preachers and teachers in the Church, who compromise this truth. In some cases, perhaps out of a misunderstanding of unity and love, or wrongly dividing the word of truth, they promote the idea that there are many ways to God and that God has provided many different pathways to heaven. Oh how the Church needs men with the resolve of Paul to stand up and proclaim that there is salvation in Christ alone! That there is nothing that can cleanse us from our sins, but the shed blood of Jesus. That there is forgiveness nowhere else but the throne of God's grace that is afforded in Christ, His Son. As the beloved Apostle John wrote in 1 John 5:11-12, “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life”.

In verse 32 we read that the soldiers cut the ropes that suspended the lifeboat and "let it fall away" into the sea. They had let go of yet another means by which they could exercise control over the situation. As we will see, they had not given up complete control, but they were moving towards that end. I would suggest that some of us, if perhaps not all of us, need to let our own "lifeboats" fall into the sea. I'm not suggesting that we be irresponsible and not use the good sense that God has given us. I'm not suggesting that we live recklessly; "just trusting God" with what may come our way. I'm not suggesting, as some have, to forsake medical treatment or care. But we have been trying too long to provide for the things that God has already promised to provide Himself. And we try to provide for the intangible things like hope, joy, peace, contentment and happiness that can only be found in Him. And perhaps we have been too busy storing up for ourselves “treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal" and need to be more concerned about storing up for ourselves “treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy, and where thieves do not break in or steal”.

In verses 33-34, we find the Apostle Paul being a vessel of encouragement as he exhorts the others on the ship to eat some food and reminds them of God's promise that none would perish. I appreciate this example and hope to learn from it. Verse 33 says that "until the day was about to dawn, Paul was encouraging them". It was before dawn, while the dark of night was still upon them, before the light of morning, that Paul was encouraging them. No, I'm not suggesting that his encouragement came only in the night, but how important is it, that we be available to God to be used to encourage others in their times of darkness? May we be His vessel of encouragement to others.

Going on, in verses 35-37 we have another great illustration in Paul's actions. We read that he took some bread "and gave thanks to God in the presence of all". It seems almost funny to think that there are times when we have a sense of embarrassment to give thanks to God for our food in the presence of even a few. Christians were certainly not the majority on this ship full of men and Paul was the prisoner! Fourteen long nights had passed by and he was giving thanks to God. I have it in my mind that he was thankful for more than just the bread. He was thankful for His provisions, His promises, and as stated previously, for being His possession.

We must take a moment to consider the result of Paul's boldness and faithfulness in Christ. Again, I'm not suggesting that this is Paul's doing, but Christ living in him. He is being used as a vessel of God's working. As he gave thanks and began to eat himself, we read that, "all of them were encouraged and they themselves also took food". Praise the Lord! God was using this prisoner, this tent maker, to encourage the sailors, the soldiers and all of the "two hundred and seventy-six persons" who were on board the ship. This is only one example of how the "sincere faith" of one of God's children can be used in a mighty way. Lord, help us to be bold in the profession of our faith.

In verse 38 we are told “when they had eaten enough, they began to lighten the ship by throwing out the wheat into the sea”. I have just a quick thought on this. It seems that we always try to hold onto the things that may seem important to us for various reasons. I suspect that the wheat meant money to the ship’s captain and his crew. If you recall, it was early on in the storm when they had “began to jettison the cargo”. Not unlike them, we to often “jettison the cargo” that may be weighing us down. But we are also prone to jettison those things we consider to be less necessary for our lives and only jettison what we determine to be more essential after we exhaust our efforts. There are times when this is very wise and prudent; the right thing to do. But I think that often times, some of those things that we have determined to be more necessary, may indeed be the things of this world that could be weighing us down and leading our minds “astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ”. Don't get me wrong. There is much that could be jettisoned from our lives.

In verse 39 we read that the morning light overtook the darkness of the night, and as the day dawned they were able to see land, although they did not recognize it. How often are we unable to recognize God's divine provisions because we are not “fixing our eyes on Jesus”? Maybe we have not been in His word, or perhaps we have not responded to the open invitation to come to the throne of grace in prayer. And without question, “forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some” has adversely affected the “vision” of many of God’s children. The verse ends by telling us that they could see a bay with a beach and that they had “resolved to drive the ship onto it if they could”. As we will soon see, our resolve to do something may sometimes be interrupted by God as He accomplishes His will in our lives. James spoke of this when he was inspired to write that we ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that."

Remember, that during the previous night the crew had cast four anchors into the sea in order to keep them from running “aground somewhere on the rocks”. And now in verse 40, we find them taking further steps. They appear to take three different actions simultaneously. First of all, Luke records that they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea. They were letting go of yet another means by which they might control their own destiny. It was as if they were surrendering, at least in part, their ability to “hold on” to the world and its provisions. And “at the same time” they were loosening the ropes of the rudders. Yes, they were giving up their ability to stir the ship. Again, the words of James echo in the back of my mind; “Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires”.

It appears that while some were casting off the anchors and others were loosening the ropes of the rudders, still others were hoisting the foresail to the wind. I hope that the picture is coming clear. Some of the ship’s cargo had been jettisoned days ago. The life-boat had been allowed to fall away into the ocean. The ship’s load of wheat had been thrown into sea. The ship’s anchors had been cast off into the sea. And now the ability to stir the boat had been surrendered and the foresails had been hoisted to the wind. And the wind, well it was subject to its creator and He was using it to drive them towards the beach.

Perhaps for a few moments it appeared to them that the ship would be driven onto the beach as they had purposed. God had promised a loss of the ship and in verse 41 we read that the ship struck a reef and the stern of the ship began to be broken up by the force of the waves crashing against it. In order to keep them from escaping, we find the soldiers planning to kill the prisoners, while the centurion is used by God to intervene and keep them from their intention. The centurion then commanded those who could swim to jump overboard and get to land. And then he commanded the rest to follow them, using planks and various items from the ship to assist them. I find in noteworthy that the ship was used for the salvation of the ship’s crew, both before and after it was broken. Sometimes we can swim ashore with the strength that God has afforded us. But there are times when we must utilize the “planks or other various things” that God provides to keep us afloat. And so all were brought safely to land, perhaps with Paul’s words echoing in each of their minds; “I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told”. Oh, may we rest in the truth of those words spoken by the apostle!

Father, we have so much to learn. Much growing up in Christ is before us. Thank you for your word. Thank you for the many practical illustrations that you have given us to help us grow in our faith and to better understand your wondrous ways. We know that there will be storms in this world that we live in as “aliens and strangers”. And we acknowledge that we have made unwise decisions that have contributed to the winds and waves crashing against us. Some have been lead astray by the “moderate south wind”, only to be assailed by a violent wind and caught in a storm tossed life. Help us to be more discerning. Help us to help one another. When right, help us to jettison the cargo in our lives that weigh us down from serving you. Help us to see your provisions, to trust in your care and to live by faith. Use us to encourage others in the storms of life; both those who are of the household of faith and those who wander outside.