Trusting in God

 Acts 27:1-12

“1 When it was decided that we were to sail for Italy, they transferred Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort, named Julius. 2 Embarking on a ship of Adramyttium that was about to set sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. 3 The next day we put in at Sidon; and Julius treated Paul kindly, and allowed him to go to his friends to be cared for. 4 Putting out to sea from there, we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. 5 After we had sailed across the sea that is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship bound for Italy and put us on board. 7 We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind was against us, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8 Sailing past it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea. 9 Since much time had been lost and sailing was now dangerous, because even the Fast had already gone by, Paul advised them, 10 saying, “Sirs, I can see that the voyage will be with danger and much heavy loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. 12 Since the harbor was not suitable for spending the winter, the majority was in favor of putting to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, where they could spend the winter. It was a harbor of Crete, facing southwest and northwest.”

Paul warned the centurion that sailing at that time of year was very risky to cargo and to men.  The centurion listened to the person he thought was the expert, the pilot of the ship.  

The pilot was normally a man with intimate knowledge of the waters he was sailing, and as such was responsible for the safety of the people and the ships. The owner of the ship, needing to get his cargo to market, may have influenced the pilot’s decision. 

The owner of the ship was driven by a material need to sail in uncertain seas.  The pilot was influenced in some way (money?) to approve the plan.  The centurion, a man of order and structure, followed the advice of the men in charge of the voyage.

Too often, we place our trust in the wrong things.  And stormy seas await us.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)