In the passage before todays Paul declared confidently about the vision he was shown from the angel to the men. "Not one of you will be lost" he said. There were 276 men aboard. Even without the factor of the ship being nearly destroyed there were many other things that could have caused one of these men harm in the last fourteen days of the journey. However Paul stuck to his promise that not one of these 276 men will lose a single hair from his head. In fact they all ate and was able to be so full that they threw the rest of the grain overboard to lighten the ship.
One part that particularly stood out for me was how the centurion wanted to spare Paul's life and let the other prisoners swim over to the land. If any of the prisoners escaped it would be on his head and no one would blame him if he killed all the prisoners onboard, however this proves how when the Lord promises something, it will happen.
There were so many things that could have gone wrong in this passage. However God had a protective hand over all of it so His will could be done. Many times we feel our entire lives are on a boat such as this. We are not given a precise time or location when we will be be safety back in God's arms or when the dangers we face will be conquered. We can only go on the promises that God has given to us. Just as Paul blindly believed only because he was told, I want to live my life with the assurance that God's will will be done. One of the promises that I will cling to is that nothing, absolutely nothing will separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39. For God is perfect, He is faithful and just as He delivered Paul He will deliver us.
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thanks miriam for such a thoughtful and insightful reflection. in this passage, the passengers on the ship are in a desperate situation. some of the sailors see the lifeboat as their best and only means of survival, but paul tells the centurion and the soldiers that "unless these men stay with the ship, [they] cannot be saved. So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it fall away" (verses 31-32).
the ship is most certainly a metaphor of salvation. Jesus Christ is the only means of salvation--He is the "ship", and "unless we stay with the ship, we cannot be saved". because we are so lacking in faith, we always look for something else to save us, other "lifeboats", but notice how the soldiers have to "cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it fall away". this is as true of us as it was of those poor sailors. we must "cut away" our dependence on anything else, save Christ, for our salvation. how scary this might seem, but as the passage proves, how truly and wonderfully He saves if we only trust and "stay with Him"!
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