*Acts 27:27-44
After two weeks adrift in a storm, the sailors fear shipwreck but thanks to Paul and the centurion’s intervention, everyone survives by reaching land.
- Fourteenth Night at Sea:
- On the fourteenth night of being driven across the Adriatic Sea, the sailors sense they are nearing land.
- They take soundings and find the water is getting shallower, first measuring twenty fathoms and then fifteen fathoms.
- Precautions and Plan:
- Fearing they might crash onto the rocks, they drop four anchors from the stern and pray for daylight.
- Sailors’ Escape Attempt:
- Some sailors try to escape from the ship by lowering the lifeboat into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow.
- Paul tells the centurion and soldiers that unless these men stay on the ship, no one can be saved.
- The soldiers cut the ropes of the lifeboat and let it drift away.
- Paul’s Encouragement Before Dawn:
- As dawn nears, Paul urges everyone to eat for their survival, stating it is their fourteenth day waiting and continuing without food.
- He takes bread, gives thanks to God in front of them all, breaks it, and begins to eat.
- Everyone is encouraged and also eats—there are 276 people on board.
- Lightening the Ship:
- After eating, they lighten the ship further by throwing the grain into the sea.
- Ship Runs Aground:
- When daylight comes, they see a bay with a sandy beach. They decide to run the ship aground if possible.
- They cut loose the anchors, untie the ropes holding the rudders, and hoist the foresail to the wind, heading toward the beach.
- The ship strikes a sandbar and runs aground; the bow sticks fast while the stern is broken by the pounding surf.
- Soldiers’ Plan and Centurion’s Intervention:
- The soldiers plan to kill the prisoners to prevent any from swimming away and escaping.
- The centurion, wanting to save Paul, stops them. He orders those who can swim to jump overboard first and get to land.
- The rest are to get there on planks or other pieces of the ship. In this way, everyone reaches land safely.
Acts 27:27-44 teaches us that God is faithful to His promises, even in the middle of life’s storms. The ship Paul was on was wrecked, but because they followed God’s guidance, everyone survived just as He had promised. This reminds us that when we face struggles, we should trust God and take action based on His wisdom. We can apply this by listening to His direction, staying hopeful in tough times, and believing that no matter how difficult things get, God will see us through.
Acts 27:27-44 (WEB)
27:27 But when the fourteenth night had come, as we were driven back and forth in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors surmised that they were drawing near to some land. 28 They took soundings and found twenty fathoms.† After a little while, they took soundings again, and found fifteen fathoms.‡ 29 Fearing that we would run aground on rocky ground, they let go four anchors from the stern, and wished for daylight. 30 As the sailors were trying to flee out of the ship and had lowered the boat into the sea, pretending that they would lay out anchors from the bow, 31 Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, “Unless these stay in the ship, you can’t be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the boat and let it fall off.33 While the day was coming on, Paul begged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you wait and continue fasting, having taken nothing. 34 Therefore I beg you to take some food, for this is for your safety; for not a hair will perish from any of your heads.” 35 When he had said this and had taken bread, he gave thanks to God in the presence of all; then he broke it and began to eat. 36 Then they all cheered up, and they also took food. 37 In all, we were two hundred seventy-six souls on the ship. 38 When they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea. 39 When it was day, they didn’t recognize the land, but they noticed a certain bay with a beach, and they decided to try to drive the ship onto it. 40 Casting off the anchors, they left them in the sea, at the same time untying the rudder ropes. Hoisting up the foresail to the wind, they made for the beach. 41 But coming to a place where two seas met, they ran the vessel aground. The bow struck and remained immovable, but the stern began to break up by the violence of the waves.42 The soldiers’ counsel was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim out and escape. 43 But the centurion, desiring to save Paul, stopped them from their purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should throw themselves overboard first to go toward the land; 44 and the rest should follow, some on planks and some on other things from the ship. So they all escaped safely to the land.