WE'RE ALL IN THE SAME BOAT!

One of the most accurate accounts of a sea voyage that ended in a shipwreck 2000 years ago, is in the Bible. [ See Acts chapter 27 ]

The 276 people on board included the captain, soldiers, sailors and prisoners. A microcosm of the world. Paul the Apostle was one of the prisoners although he was innocent. The voyage is a picture of our lives and we are all in the same boat as we sail across the sea of time. Just as the sea can change from calm to storm quickly, so we never know what may happen from one day to the next.

The most important passenger on the ship was Paul who had been commanded by God to go to Rome in order to proclaim the gospel to Caesar. Because Paul was doing God’s will it might be thought that everything would be plain sailing, but this was not the case. The winds were continually contrary and eventually a terrible storm tossed the ship for 14 days until it was wrecked in what is known today as St. Paul’s Bay in Malta.

Near the beginning of the voyage, Julius the Centurion, allowed Paul to visit friends at one of the ports, and this was good, but later Paul never complained about the hardships he endured. The Christian life has been described as a bed of roses and it is certainly full of thorns! The truth is that through the prayers and advice of Paul, this captive became their Captain and Saviour! They all reached the beach at a place where two seas met.

One day our bodies that we lived in as we have sailed across the sea of time, will be wrecked. But if we have Jesus as Saviour on board, He will guide us across the sea of time and into the ocean of eternal bliss.