JUNE 23, 2025

Pastor Hanibal recently highlighted the fact that God gives His followers courage as we remember and cling to God’s presence, power, and promises. This week’s passage illustrates this kind of courage in action. Let’s read as Paul and his associates (including Luke, the author of Acts, as evidenced by the “we” pronouns in this passage) set sail for Italy.

“When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment. We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us.

The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs. From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us. When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone. We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.

Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement. So Paul warned them, ‘Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.’ But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest.“

Acts 27:1-12

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Paul had strongly desired to visit Rome for years (see Romans 1:10-13). His plans to head there following his time in Jerusalem (see Acts 19:21) were thwarted when he was falsely accused by religious leaders and wrongly imprisoned for two years. During his imprisonment, however, the Lord Himself confirmed that Paul would testify about Him in Rome (see Acts 23:11). Finally, Paul appealed to Caesar to have his case heard in Rome, which allowed his long-awaited journey to begin, albeit in chains.

In His power, God sovereignly orchestrated events in Paul’s life (along with the Roman political and judicial system) to send him to Rome at this particular time. Graciously, God even warned Paul that prison and hardships awaited him (see Acts 20:23). While Paul was ready and willing to suffer for the sake of the gospel (see Acts 20:24), this path to Rome must have been unexpected and challenging. And now the quickly deteriorating conditions at sea, along with Paul’s warning of impending disaster, foreshadow more harrowing days ahead.

Throughout it all, God remains faithful to His promises. God remains present, powerfully providing the courage Paul needs to follow Him regardless of his circumstances. And God will do the same for all His followers!

Questions for reflection and discussion:

  • What details catch your attention in Luke’s account of the beginning of their journey to Italy?
  • How are God’s presence, power, and promises on display in this passage? How can you draw courage from Paul’s example?
  • When have your plans not worked out as you expected? How did you respond to God? How did you respond to others?

Church Reading Plan: Deuteronomy 28:20-68; Psalm 119:25-48