Our daily reflections follow the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan, designed for those who want to read the whole Bible in one year. Each reflection focuses on one of the chapters from that day's readings. Darllenwch rhain yn Gymraeg.
Lord, open my ears to hear what you have to say to me; open my heart to love your word, and open my mind to understand your truth.
This is one of the 'we' sections of Acts; Luke writes in the first person, because he was there. It's a fine adventure story – anyone who likes tales of the sea will enjoy this – but it also speaks to us about deeper things.
Compare Acts 27 with another storm at sea in Mark 4.35–41 (Matthew and Luke have the same story). Jesus and the disciples are caught in a storm on Galilee; the disciples are terrified and think they're going to drown, and Jesus is asleep. In Acts, too, it seems God is sleeping or absent. It's a long crisis in which events are out of control, people are working desperately hard to stay alive, there's fear and even panic. Unlike the disciples, though, Paul stays calm and faithful. He is sure of God's purposes for him. He holds the crew together through wise advice and his own example, and they all survive – though their ship is wrecked and they have lost everything but their lives.
The storms we face are sometimes like those the disciples faced on Galilee; the winds fall and there is a 'great calm' (Mark 4.39), and no one is any the worse. Sometimes we survive, but bruised and battered, losing much that was precious to us. What counted for Paul, though, was that God was with him and that he was working his purpose out. All Christians can have the same assurance.
God, help me trust you even when my life is at its darkest and most difficult. When I seem to lose more than I win, and when what I value is taken away, help me remember that you are faithful.
This reflection was written by Mark Woods, Bible Society's Editor
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