Shipwrecked

Our Rebecca's "pirate" family
Trunk-or-treat 2016

"It was three months after the shipwreck that we set sail...and so we came to Rome." (Acts 28:11-14)

In Acts 27 and 28, Dr. Luke tells the harrowing story of gale-force winds battering their ship after prisoner Paul had forewarned the ship's officers of impending shipwreck, loss of cargo, and danger to their lives as well if they left Fair Haven harbor for the open seas. But the officer regrettably listened more to the captain than to Paul and set sail. The light wind quickly changed to a terrible typhoon that raged for many days, blotting out the sun and the stars, until at last all hope was gone.

On the fourteenth stormy night, Paul called the crew together and said, "Take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down."

They soon hit a shoal, and the ship ran aground. The bow stuck fast while the stern was dashed by violent waves and began to break apart. Everyone escaped safely, however, to the island shore of Malta, where Paul prayed for and laid hands on many sick islanders, and they were healed. Three months later, by way of another ship, the journey to Rome resumed and Paul stood trial before Caesar.

In 1989, eight months after Phillip's land and timber company shipwrecked in Louisiana, by God grace and mercy, my man resumed his career journey with another company in Alabama that has served our family well for 27 years and beyond.

Is your life shipwrecked, beloved? Take courage! Don't be afraid.  Jesus, the Captain of angel armies, stands beside you and will see you to safe harbor.