Storm Season - Grace in the Storm

Acts 27:23-24 NIV 

[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.’  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/act.27.23-24.NIV)

When I was much younger and preparing to be a missionary, I laid my hands (I think it might have been a gift) on a book called ‘Seventy Great Christians’. If you ever see it for sale or online, you should definitely buy it. The book does exactly what it says on the cover: the author tracks through history from the heady days of the church being founded in Acts, all the way through the ancient church, the historical church and right up to the twentieth century. He tells the stories of seventy Christian that he thinks are inspirational and challenging. 

And they are. They really are. 

The things these people endured were incredible: persecution, physical ailments, cultural and language misunderstandings, violence, prison, even martyrdom. I’m not one for turning anyone into a hero. Our hero should be Jesus above all. But the tales of these Christians are quote amazing. 

Some of them endured some of the very worst historical events, and felt the sharp end of the world turning seriously nasty: Nero’s fierce and unrelenting cruelties, the Boxer Rebellion, the Long March and the Cultural Revolution in China, the wicked vagaries of European communism and Naziism, racism and the like. 

Seeing their faith and strength and resilience was really something incredible. 

One of those great Christian was Paul. 

Now, for some people he is controversial. However, we absolutely cannot deny that this man endured persecution and privations and deprivations the likes of which most of should thank God we will never endure. But in all that he faced, Paul kept the faith. 

The incident we will examine in this study is one such privation. 

What Paul went through would have likely caused most of us to break. 

Firstly, he was arrested in Jerusalem on trumped up, completely false charges due to violent opposition from his own people (Acts 21:27-22:29). Due to a heartless plot against him, despite being completely innocent of the charges against him, Paul had to appeal to Caesar to stay alive (Acts 23:12-25:12). This period of arrest without due process for a crime he did not commit lasted more than two years (Acts 24:27). Even his own judges recognised that he was not guilty of any crime at all that merited his situation (Acts 26:32). 

When they finally set sail (Acts 27:1), time was already of the essence to avoid the horrible winter weather. Paul was not a sailor, but even he warned about the risks (Acts 27:9-12). 

And then came the storm. And the shipwreck.

And the risk of loss of life. 

Yet despite all that had happened to him, throughout it all, Paul seems to be calm. 

Why? 

It’s not enough to simply study a historical incident. We need to know what we can learn from it. 

This study is intended to give us three pieces of advice from how Paul endured storms like this that will help us endure the storms in our lives. 

The first is Focus on Your Goal. 

Focus on Your Goal 

2 Corinthians 5:6-10 NIV 

[6] Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. [7] For we live by faith, not by sight. [8] We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. [9] So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. [10] For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/2co.5.6-10.NIV)

I am not an athlete. I was never an athlete. I will never be an athlete. 

However, one thing I do understand is how endurance through pain is increased by focusing on a goal.  

Athletes endure extraordinary pain and face the risk of sometimes permanent injury to achieve a goal: whether it’s a medal or to beat their personal best or to simply reach the finish line.

Paul had witnessed and understood this: 

1 Corinthians 9:24-25 NIV 

[24] Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. [25] Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/1co.9.24-25.NIV)

There is little doubt that this was a key factor in Paul’s thinking: 

Philippians 3:12-14 NIV 

[12] Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. [13] Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, [14] I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/php.3.12-14.NIV)

Paul’s goal in everything he did was not the same as ours often is. It was not to gain power or prestige or pecuniary benefits (money) or people or approval. So much of the things we do are driven by these. And to be honest, it reminds me of another ‘P’: it’s pathetic. 

Why? 

Because we end up chasing dreams and desires that fade and die. We might achieve what feels like a lifetime ambition, get there, and then realise that it wasn’t worth all the effort. 

There is nothing more detrimental and damaging to our mental and spiritual health than realising that our dreams were nothing but dust.  

Let me give you an example. My department at work organised a charity hike up a hill in Scotland in an area my wife would love to visit. She was really disappointed when she realised that recovery from a necessary operation meant that she couldn’t go. 

But then she saw the photographs from the walk. Some of my colleagues had made it to the top of the hill. When they got there, however, low cloud, rain and wind had made it impossible to get any kind of a view at all. 

My wife’s disappointment disappeared right away. 

The successful American author Jack Higgins was asked what he would tell his past self. He gave this sad answer: ‘When you get to the top there is nothing there’. 

Paul did not have that problem. His endurance through the storms of life, and this storm in particular, was driven by a desire to fulfil one goal in particular. That goal was not ease or comfort or to get out of suffering at any cost. 

No, that goal was to please Jesus Christ. 

Look at his response when his arrest and suffering in Jerusalem was prophesied: 

Acts 21:13 NIV 

[13] Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/act.21.13.NIV)

Do you see it? Do you see what was more important? Suffering and even death meant nothing to Paul. He was only focused on pleasing Christ. 

And what is it pleases Christ? 

Hebrews 13:16 NIV 

[16] And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/heb.13.16.NIV)

Micah 6:8 NIV 

[8] He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/mic.6.8.NIV)

What brings God pleasure is not necessarily our religious acts. What God wants – what brings Him pleasure, is obedience. In particular, obedience to the Golden Rule of loving God, our neighbours and ourselves.  It’s from obedience to that law that obedience to all other laws flows like a mountain stream into a river. 

Look how that affected Paul’s response to this storm: 

Acts 23:11 NIV 

[11] The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/act.23.11.NIV)

Acts 27:23-24 NIV 

[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.’  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/act.27.23-24.NIV)

Do you see it? Paul was told that he must go to Rome. So Paul went to Rome. And because God had told him he would go to Rome, Paul would then approach the storm without fear because he was going to make it to Rome. His obedience to God in going to Rome led to assurance and confidence that he would get there, no matter the storm. 

What storm are you facing? What is your goal? Is it to get out of the storm? Do you know that the only way you are guaranteed to get out of the storm is to ensure that your goal is to please God? 

It might lengthen the storm you face now. It might make things more difficult for you. It might challenge your intentions to take the easy way out. But if you focus on pleasing God in the storm, then it will pass. 

If you focus on getting out of the storm by any means, then a worse storm will come.

What do I mean by this? 

If you try to escape a storm of persecution by denying you know Jesus, then a greater storm will come upon you, as Peter discovered (Matthew 26:75; Luke 22:62). 

If you try to escape a storm of legal trouble by paying a bribe, you risk a bigger storm because God is not blind (Isaiah 33:15-16). 

If you try to escape the storm of loneliness by turning aside to sexual perversion or pornography, you risk a bigger storm because these sins have serious consequences (1 Corinthians 6:18-20). 

If you try to escape financial storms by going into debt, be assured that you bring a bigger storm upon yourself by making yourself a slave to the lender (Proverbs 22:7). 

If you try to escape the storm of blame by lying or covering up, be assured that you face a bigger storm of being found out for both sins (1 John 1:5-10). 

We get through the storms of life by focusing on pleasing God.  

Apart from focusing on our goal, the next focus of Paul’s life might seem a strange one, because perhaps it doesn’t cross our mind that it is even possible in a storm, but we see that we should Focus on Your Gain. 

Focus on Your Gain 

Philippians 1:21 NIV 

[21] For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/php.1.21.NIV)

When you are in the middle of stress and suffering, sometimes it’s hard to believe that you have anything to gain. Sometimes all you see is loss.  

Yet Paul wrote these words, not from the swimming pool of a five star hotel, or a sun lounger on a tropical beach, but from a Roman prison cell while awaiting a death sentence. He was waiting on the single greatest unknown that a human being can face – that of knowing that our life is at stake and we are not at all in control of it – and he saw this situation as a ‘win-win’. Faced with a likely imminent death, he did not saw it as loss. 

But how? 

He explained it in Philippians: 

Philippians 1:20-26 NIV 

[20] I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. [21] For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. [22] If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! [23] I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; [24] but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. [25] Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, [26] so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/php.1.20-26.NIV)

So he believed that if he died, he would glorify God and enjoy Him forever in Heaven. If he lived, he would glorify God and enjoy Him on earth, and live to build up and strengthen His church. So either way, since Paul’s goal was to live to please God, his goal would be fulfilled. Because of that, Paul believed that he would win either way. No matter what happened, Paul's goal, the driving force of his life, would be fulfilled.

During the Second World War, the American General George S. Patton is said to have commented that it’s impossible to fight against men who are unafraid to die. That same quote was resurrected during the War on Terror, when suicide bombers were causing immense harm in places like Iraq and Afghanistan.  

It was also true during Communist times. The Romanian Christian Iosif Ţon was arrested by the feared secret police. They threatened him with death if he did not stop preaching. He replied to them, ‘Please do. Because if you kill me, my sermons that have been recorded on cassette tapes will be distributed all the more.’ 

They let him go. They never bothered him again. What could they do? He was not afraid to die. 

Why would he be? Because of Jesus Christ and His resurrection, even death itself holds no fear for us because death is a defeated foe (1 Corinthians 15:50-58). 

And that is how it is. If, for us, to live is Christ and to die is gain, then we become invincible. We cannot be stopped. Because death us the one thing that people are afraid of more than anything else. If we are not afraid of it, then the most powerful weapon that could be used to manipulate us and silence us is silenced. 

Now, this does not any way make us reckless or foolhardy. We live to please God, not ourselves. But what it meant for Paul was that he could sail into that storm and not be afraid of it, because he knew that, whatever the outcome, he would win.

Look also at how God reassured him: 

Acts 27:21-25 NIV 

[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.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/act.27.21-25.NIV)

God saw the storm and He saw Paul and He told Paul not to fear the storm because God’s will would not be stopped. 

Maybe you need that reassurance today. Maybe you need to realise that whatever happens, God’s will cannot be stopped. Maybe you need to realise that it is relentless. Maybe you need to realise that whatever happens, you win. 

Because all that is true when you follow God through the storms of life. 

We have seen two life-affirming, perspective-changing pieces of advice from Paul’s teaching and life: focus on the goal of pleasing God, and focus on your gain – that, no matter what, you win. 

There is, however, one last thing we should focus on: Focus on Your God. 

Focus on Your God 

Romans 8:28 NIV 

[28] And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.8.28.NIV)

I remember years ago at work I was stressed out by the pressures of my role and the expectation of others. It was then that I learned that it’s far better to concentrate on doing one thing well than to panic and do nothing well. 

There is no greater time when focus is needed than when we are facing one of life’s many and varied storms. I remember, for example, how hyper-focused I was for three months as a trainee missionary on learning Romanian so I could do my job, or how hyper-focused my then fiancée and I were for the best part of two years to ensure we would meet UK spouse visa requirements. 

Those pale into complete insignificance to the sheer powers of concentration that it takes to keep yourself and your family alive during a natural disaster. From my limited experience in a sizeable tropical storm in Ormoc City, Philippines, I can tell you that these things are terrifying. 

If you are passing through one of these right now, you are in my prayers.

But how do we make it through the storms of life? 

Before the days of computers and satnav, ships would be guided round the oceans through the use of the stars. Sailors would position themselves in relation to the North Star or the Southern Cross. They would concentrate on them. 

Our life storms can be widely different. Many are seemingly random as we can see no root cause. Others are self-inflicted. Some are just; others seemingly unjust. Many simply seem to have no sense at all. 

The issue at hand is not their nature. We could do sit and pontificate for years on the type of storm through which we are passing. We could meditate until we get a migraine on whether or not it was just. But these won’t help us: we will still be facing a storm. 

What matters is getting through it to the other side. 

And for Christians, there is always another side. For those without Christ, that is not always the case. 

For Paul, lifting his eyes, and those of the early church, off the storm and onto Jesus was what would help them through the storms of life – and they faced plenty of storms, some of them unbelievably ferocious.  

Paul is not just telling them to look at Him, in the same way that Moses told the people of Israel to look at a bronze snake on a pole when venomous snakes were attacking them (Numbers 21:4-9). No, he wanted them to gaze upon Jesus: to look intently at who He was and where He was, so they would realise that He would help them and would believe in Him. 

But what in particular did Paul want the early church to know? 

Firstly, that Jesus is Sovereign. He is in charge.  

Colossians 2:9-10 NIV 

[9] For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, [10] and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/col.2.9-10.NIV)

This is a critical fact because many times when we are passing through the storms of life, it all seems chaotic, as if no-one is at the wheel. Paul wanted the early church to know that this was never true: that no matter how things seemed, Jesus was still in control. 

Secondly, he also wanted them to know that He is just Sovereign, Jesus is righteous. 

Romans 3:25-26 NIV 

[25] God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— [26] he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.3.25-26.NIV)

What this means is that God is fair and just and holy. He doesn’t abuse the power He has as Sovereign.  

We also see that Jesus is love. 

Ephesians 2:4-5 NIV 

[4] But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, [5] made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/eph.2.4-5.NIV)

These three incredible qualities combine in Romans 8:28. This verse is not just something that God does if the fancy takes Him. No, God works for our good because He is Sovereign (so able to work), righteous (so He will be fair) and love (so He will not let our circumstances destroy us).  

When we pass through suffering, we don’t just depend on God’s promises, we depend on His character. We depend on His ability to intervene in our situation and His love for us to do so for our good. 

This isn’t some vain optimism that something good might happen. No, this is a solid hope and trust in Someone who has proved that they are absolutely worthy of that trust. 

Those who put their hope in Jesus are utterly convinced of two things: 1) their suffering will end – it is not eternal; 2) somehow it will turn out for their good – it is not terminal. 

It is this hope that guided Paul through his storms. Lok how he assures the men: 

Acts 27:25 NIV 

[25] So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/act.27.25.NIV)

So when you read these same words spoken by Paul about God's sovereignty, righteousness and love, do you have the same faith? 

Conclusion 

Acts 27:23-25 NIV 

[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.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/act.27.23-25.NIV)

I am never a fan of the process of contacting family after a major storm has hit. Often the power lines are down. It can take a day, or even more, before you find out they are okay. After Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013, it took a week. Waiting after a disaster has happened to confirm that your family and friends have survived it is just plain torture. 

But knowing that it’s coming and that there is nothing you can do to avoid it, knowing that the vessel you are in is too brittle to withstand it, knowing that the people with you will not heed the warning and will sail right into it without turning away, that must be equally as bad, if not worse. 

That is the situation. Paul found himself facing with this storm. He knew it was coming. God has told him it was coming. But the so-called experts ignored him and kept going as if he knew nothing, before it tool them by surprise. 

His situation was awful. 

But what followed is a masterclass in faith. Paul endured the storm safe in the knowledge that God would lead him through it. While all around him men made of sterner stuff were battling to stay afloat, in more ways than one, Paul appears calm and collected. 

Paul’s approach to the storms of life, both here and in the letters he wrote, is what made the difference. He focused on his goal – living to please God, his gain – that he could not lose whatever happened, and his God – whom he trusted implicitly and knew would guide him through the storm and use it for his good. 

That is what made the difference. 

And do you see what happened? It wasn’t just Paul who walked away from this shipwreck, the crew and the Roman soldiers who were guarding Paul did too. 

Isn’t that remarkable? Paul’s faith didn’t just get him through the storm , there was enough of it to go around to save a pagan ship crew and the Roman soldiers who would take Paul to Rome too. 

While in the short term this led to a miraculous deliverance for Paul and the others on the ship, we know that long term it meant martyrdom for Paul. Church history tells us that he was killed in Rome. 

However, there is another way of looking at it. After years of ministering for the Lord and putting his life on the line, Paul finally received his reward:

2 Timothy 4:7-8 NIV 

[7] I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. [8] Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/2ti.4.7-8.NIV)

Even in martyrdom, Paul still won.  

He was irrepressible. He was unbeatable. He was invincible. 

Because even the deepest, darkest threat him held no fear, as even then he reached his goal. 

Do you see why these three values that Paul had make such a difference? 

Isn’t it time you believed the same? 

Prayer 

Lord Jesus, forgive me for the times when this world has such a hold on me that I give it and the devil the means to play me like a puppet. I want to take Paul’s advice. I want to see life differently. Help me to focus on what’s most important: living to please You. Amen. 

Questions for Contemplation 

• What can we learn from how Paul faced the storms in his life? What three things did he focus on? 

• What difference did they make when he went through a life-storm? 

• What prevents you from following in his footsteps? How can you resolve that.