Acts 27.22-25 And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.
While Paul is enroute to Rome to stand before Caesar, the ship that he is in encounters a severe storm. But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon. This particular kind of a storm was a wind of typhoon strength. To say the least, the ship and all aboard were in great danger of sinking and losing their lives. But in the midst of this storm, The Lord gives Paul the assurance that even though the storm is going to run it’s course, all will be well with him and all aboard. God told Paul two things: fear not and be of good cheer. In the midst of this typhoon, God says, Don’t be afraid and take courage.
Every follower of Jesus encounters storms in their lives. Relationship storms, physical or medical storms, financial storms and storms due to sinful behavior. The storms of life are varied and ominous. They possess typhoon like power that affect our minds, our emotions and our ability to think and reason clearly. Dearly beloved, The Lord stood by Paul in his storm, and that same risen Lord will stand by you. Paul had no power over the storm and The Lord did not command it to come to a screeching halt as at other times. There are times when God calls us to ride out the storms of life, but He never abandons us. He wants us to learn how to trust Him. Paul declared, I believe God. It will be just as He said. I am with you, saith The Lord. Be Lord conscious, not storm conscious. We were not redeemed to control our lives, but commit our lives to The One Who is in control of every storm. Selah
