Hardship

“Men, I perceive this voyage is going to be with hardship and much loss, not only of the cargo and of the ship but also our lives.” – Acts 27:10

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In Acts 27 we read about the apostle Paul’s journey by ship to Rome. He had to travel by ship to Rome to stand trial before the Roman Emperor. Paul boarded the ship along with Julius, the centurion who was in charge of the prisoners. There were many on board, including Paul’s friends, Luke and Aristarchus and other prisoners.  

We read about the Apostle Paul’s traumatic ship voyage and how he and the other passengers almost all drowned in a storm.  In Acts 27: 20 we read: “ And neither the sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm pressed on us, finally all hope for us to be saved was taken away.” 

This sounds like a very hopeless situation. But even in this storm, God was with Paul, and the other passengers. This passage reminds us that even though God is with us, it does not mean that we will have no storms in our lives. We will have storms, even very bad storms, but we must always remember that God is with us, even in those terrifying times. The apostle Paul had to endure many hardships. In 2 Corinthians 11:25 we read: “Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea.” It is not possible to live this life without any trials and sufferings. 

A Scripture verse that has always comforted me in difficult times is: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). There may be circumstances in your life that you do not understand, you just can’t figure out the reason why it happened. But according to Proverbs 3:5, our understanding must come after trust. Trusting in the Lord is the foundation of our daily walk with the Lord. "For we walk by faith, not by sight" - 2 Corinthians 5:7.

Trust and hold on to God’s Word and His promises in every day, but especially in times of hardship. Our Lord Jesus calmed the stormy sea. He can calm the storms in our lives too and hold us tight. Psalm 139:9-10: “If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

Reflection on Acts 27:1 – 20 by Hanne