Acts 27 contains one of antiquity’s most accurate and detailed accounts of Mediterranean Sea travel. The storm and shipwreck that Paul endured on his way to Rome were real. The chapter isn’t a parable. But neither is the chapter merely a dramatic travelogue. Its events symbolize the challenges we all face and offer lessons for navigating life’s storms.
After the journey’s uneventful start, with great difficulty, the ship harbored on the south side of the Island of Crete, about halfway to its final destination. At Crete, Paul warned the crew not to sail any farther. He feared that the voyage would bring great loss. But the captain commanded the crew to press on. Soon, hurricane-force winds threatened the ship. The storm was so severe that the crew threw overboard the cargo and tackle.
And so, writes Luke, “All hope of our being saved was at last abandoned” (Acts 27:20). The moment when all ordinary hope is lost is a rich learning opportunity. What principles does this chapter teach us for retaining hope in life’s storms?
Heed Godly Counsel in the Storm
When all hope was lost Paul said, “Men, you should have listened to me” (Acts 27:21). His rebuke seems rude and useless. But is it? John Calvin put it this way: “Chiding is indeed cruel, and brings no comfort; but if it be tempered with some remedy, it is now a part of the medicine.”[1]
Here is the remedy: seeking and heeding godly counsel can spare us much trouble. “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisors they succeed” (Prov. 15:22). Your wisdom is biased by selfish interests and limited to personal experience. Especially under pressure, it’s unwise to make major decisions unilaterally. Clearer heads can help. Is a romantic relationship healthy? Should I take that new job? Get meaningful input. Advise isn’t always perfect—God clarified Paul’s initial perception about the extent of loss the company would face (cf. Acts 27:10, 22). But as a seasoned traveler (2 Cor. 11:25–26) and spiritual guide, Paul’s counsel was worthy of respect.
Of course, it doesn’t matter how many people validate your plan if it contradicts God’s word. What matters most is the rule of Scripture. We won’t always find exact answers to specific questions. But we will find principles for flourishing. Godly counsel can be helpful when applying biblical principles.
Trust God’s Promises in the Storm
Having rebuked the men for their folly, Paul urged them to “take heart” (Acts 27:22, 25). He isn’t encouraging positive thinking; the circumstances hardly allowed for rational optimism. His exhortation is connected to a promise: God told me that we will all safely reach shore (Acts 27:23–24). Paul was hopeful in the storm because he had “faith in God” that it would turn out exactly as he had been told (Acts 27:25).
God’s promises require patient faith; trust doesn’t cancel life’s storms. By the fourteenth night, the ship was “still being driven across the Adriatic Sea” (Acts 27:27). The sailors didn’t want to wait to find out if God was telling the truth. They trusted more in their ability. They tried to abandon the ship.
The troubles of life are often God’s way of asking us, “Do you trust me?” When a loved one renounces the faith, will you keep trusting Jesus as the only way to God? When God seems distant, will you believe that he holds you in his powerful arms? When you feel like a failure, will you accept Jesus as your complete righteousness? As faith replaces unbelief, the waves of life’s worries will seem smaller and the darkness less menacing. The ship on which you stand may be dashed to pieces, but God will hold you fast.
Obey God’s Commands in the Storm
The sailors’ attempt to abandon ship illustrates the universal bent toward self-interest and self-preservation. We get it. Crises often tempt us to compromise our values. People who seem rock-solid on sexual ethics more easily compromise when sexual confusion confronts their own family. High-stress situations test our commitment to love God and our neighbor. Some of God’s laws might seem easier to obey than others. But we must obey all of God’s commands, even in the storm.
God ordained the end—that every man would be delivered—and the means—“Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved” (Acts 27:31). God didn’t need the sailors to help him carry out the rescue. But if the sailors had escaped on a life-boat, they might have taken credit for their rescue. Only God could save all 276 souls through a harrowing shipwreck. The storm was not just a trial of faith but a test of obedience.
What is true in this narrative is also true “in regard to the decrees respecting salvation … as God has resolved that his people shall be saved, so he has also determined the means. He has ordained that they shall repent, shall believe, shall be holy, and shall thus be saved.”[2]
We can thank God that storms typically come and go. But they are common enough that we need to know how to navigate them. And they are important. They can reveal whether we are self-reliant, self-made people or teachable, trusting, obedient children of God.
[1]Commentary upon the Acts of the Apostles, 399.
[2] Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament Explanatory and Practical (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1959), 366.
