"But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship."— Acts 27:11
More than half of the today's passage, Luke tells us about the difficult journey to Rome, Italy. Paul and others were sailing slowly because of the bad weather (v.9). He had perceived that the journey would be dangerous for the ship and their life. But the centurion didn’t listen to Paul, the prisoner, who perhaps was not educated enough, not smart enough, not wise enough. He rather believed the decision of the pilot and the owner of the ship, who perhaps had more knowledge and experience about the sea, the weather and the journey. In the next passage, the ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind. Finally, they were shipwrecked off the coast of Malta.
This passage reflects our lives. Sometimes we have a difficulty in life, which is not yet a storm. Instead of listening to the man of God, or finding the voice of God, we would lean on the advice of the expert and make decisions that lead us to the stormy journey.
Brothers and sisters, what should we do if we are in difficult situations?
Seek God first and have a relation with Him (Proverb 1:7). When we are in relationship with God, we could discern the voice of God (John 10:27). God talks through Jesus, prayers, verses or passages of the bible, friends, books, his creations, the least of brothers and sisters of God, and/or experts who are led by God. God talks through combination of these things.
The centurion, in our passage, clearly had no relationship with God Almighty. He could not discern the voice of God and preferred to follow the decision of the experts who were not led by God. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” – Proverb 1:7.
Reflection on Acts 27:1-11 by Veralin Uneputty
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