It's no great revelation to the
average Christian that God sends adversity to those who sin. But what about
those who are walking in God's will? Let's look at an example here. Paul,
knowing that the Spirit has commanded and foretold that he will go to Rome,
meets a lot of "natural difficulties" along the way:
(Acts 27 NIV) When it was decided that we would sail for
Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named
Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment. {2} We boarded a ship from
Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia,
and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with
us. {3} The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, in kindness to Paul,
allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs. {4} From
there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds
were against us. {5} When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of
Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. {6} There the centurion
found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. {7} We made
slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the
wind did not allow us to hold our course, we sailed to the lee of Crete,
opposite Salmone. {8} We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a
place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea. {9} Much time had been lost,
and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Fast.
So Paul warned them, {10} "Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be
disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives
also." {11} But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said,
followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. {12} Since the
harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail
on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete,
facing both southwest and northwest. {13} When a gentle south wind began to
blow, they thought they had obtained what they wanted; so they weighed anchor
and sailed along the shore of Crete. {14} Before very long, a wind of hurricane
force, called the "northeaster," swept down from the island. {15} The
ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way
to it and were driven along. {16} As we passed to the lee of a small island
called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure. {17} When the
men had hoisted it aboard, they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it
together. Fearing that they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they
lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along. {18} We took such a
violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the
cargo overboard. {19} On the third day, they threw the ship's tackle overboard
with their own hands. {20} When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days
and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved. {21}
After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and
said: "Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then
you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. {22} But now I urge you
to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship
will be destroyed. {23} Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I
serve stood beside me {24} and said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand
trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail
with you.' {25} So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it
will happen just as he told me. {26} Nevertheless, we must run aground on some
island." {27} On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across
the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching
land. {28} They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and
twenty feet deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was
ninety feet deep. {29} Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they
dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. {30} In an attempt
to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea,
pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. {31} Then Paul
said to the centurion and the soldiers, "Unless these men stay with the
ship, you cannot be saved." {32} So the soldiers cut the ropes that held
the lifeboat and let it fall away. {33} Just before dawn Paul urged them all to
eat. "For the last fourteen days," he said, "you have been in
constant suspense and have gone without food--you haven't eaten anything. {34}
Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will
lose a single hair from his head." {35} After he said this, he took some
bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began
to eat. {36} They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves. {37}
Altogether there were 276 of us on board. {38} When they had eaten as much as
they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea. {39}
When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a
sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. {40}
Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time
untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the
wind and made for the beach. {41} But the ship struck a sandbar and ran
aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to
pieces by the pounding of the surf. {42} The soldiers planned to kill the
prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. {43} But the
centurion wanted to spare Paul's life and kept them from carrying out their
plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land.
{44} The rest were to get there on planks or on pieces of the ship. In this way
everyone reached land in safety.
Natural Difficulties
Hidden in this passage - a wonderful
seafaring story in itself, with the obvious eyewitness account of Dr. Luke - is
a great difficulty. It is clear from the text that Paul is doing precisely
what God wants him to do: going to Rome. Now, the Almighty being in charge of
these things, one might ask just why he has so much difficulty in getting
there.
Indeed, many Christians have the
same dilemma. "How is it," they ask, "that the righteous man,
the one doing God's will, seems to meet with such troubles in this life? I can
understand God's chastisement; I can see the hand of Satan - but this is
clearly God's doing. Why?" Perhaps we can see some reasons here.
That others might see God
through you
Notice, if you please, what
respect Paul gets from the Centurion. The sailors want to slip away on the
life boat; Paul says no, the Centurion acts. The Centurion wishes to spare
Paul's life, and thus does not slaughter the prisoners (one must remember that
a soldier who loses a prisoner replaces him in prison). Sometimes God sends
adversity so that the Christian might prove to be the example of God.;
That we might be strengthened
Do you exercise? Is it in vain?
No, you believe that by exercise you are strengthened. Spiritual exercise is
often found in adversity. What better adversity than natural disaster? There
is no one to hate; there is no evil to fight, just the problem at hand. The
temptation is less and the opportunity just as great as any other.
That we might learn
deliverance
Many of us are very confident of
our own abilities. It is not a sin to know that you are talented. But once in
a while we might just need a reminder of just who is our deliverance.
It is hard for the able to learn that they must trust in God, and sometimes
natural calamity is the best teacher for this. Sometimes we need to learn
deliverance from the receiving end.
That we might trust only in
God
Many of us are greatly pleased
with the arrangements we have made for our future. We have retirement funds,
stocks and bonds, all kinds of things. Some have survival shelters, six months
of food, a spare generator. Others of us have one flashlight. But whoever we
are, we must learn to trust only in God. All these preparations may be wise,
and there is good reason to make them. But sometimes God surprises us with
something for which we are not prepared - just to remind us that he is God and
we need to trust only in Him.
There are two examples of this
here:
·
First, when do you throw the grain overboard? When do you decide
that the things you have provided for financial security are now harmful and
need to be disposed of? Does the money you have really do you any good, or
should it be given away - to keep you from temptation and to benefit someone
else?
·
Next, no matter how it appears, there is no security in this
world. They appear close to safe harbor - and then run aground on a sand bar.
Thomas à Kempis puts it this way:
IT
IS good for us to have trials and troubles at times, for they often remind us
that we are on probation and ought not to hope in any worldly thing. It is good
for us sometimes to suffer contradiction, to be misjudged by men even though we
do well and mean well. These things help us to be humble and shield us from
vainglory. When to all outward appearances men give us no credit, when they do
not think well of us, then we are more inclined to seek God Who sees our
hearts. Therefore, a man ought to root himself so firmly in God that he will
not need the consolations of men.
When
a man of good will is afflicted, tempted, and tormented by evil thoughts, he
realizes clearly that his greatest need is God, without Whom he can do no good.
Saddened by his miseries and sufferings, he laments and prays. He wearies of
living longer and wishes for death that he might be dissolved and be with
Christ. Then he understands fully that perfect security and complete peace
cannot be found on earth.
(The Imitation of Christ, I-12)
That God might comfort us - so
that we will know him
Matters must have been pretty
desperate for God to send an angel to Paul. Sometimes this is the whole
purpose of calamity - that God might comfort us, and in so doing we might draw
closer to Him.
All Things Work Together
There is another difficulty for
some Christians here. God has told Paul that he is going to Rome. The temptation
is to kick back and enjoy the cruise. Paul does not do that. Why? Is God
unable to deliver him without his help?
Breaking bread
Paul sets an example here. The
men, crazed with fear, have not eaten in two weeks. This is not good. So he
calmly sits down and eats, setting an example for them which encourages them.
It is a practical thing. But remember: our Lord fed the five thousand. We
are to be his imitators. He worked in this practical way, and we should too.
We may not be able to solve world hunger - but we can feed the hungry man in
front of us.
Some of us don't see that. We're
so heavenly minded that we're no earthly good.
The goodness of God
We see here the goodness of God -
not only does he spare Paul and all his companions, but indeed grants him - as
a favor - all the lives on board. Surely this is in answer to Paul's prayers!
So we see that prayer changes things. But - there is that small voice in the
back of the room - why did Paul tell the Centurion to cut the ropes to the lifeboat?
Surely God could deliver without the sailors on board; why does Paul require
them?
The answer is simple: God has
pronounced his intention; Paul will work in that direction. All things are to
work together - including us.
But - why "swiftly?"
Swift to cut the ropes
If there is anything which
impresses me about the early Christians, it is their sense of urgency. We tend
to think we have all the time in the world to do what God wills - when we get
around to it is soon enough. But consider:
·
The ancient Hebrew, in taking the Passover (the predecessor of
the Lord's Supper) was to eat it in haste, dressed for a journey. We often
linger over communion; they were taught that action was to follow
immediately. Moments with God are to provoke swift action.
·
We have only so much time on this earth - and that not known to
us. We are, as the King James put it , to "redeem the time."
Get to work - for the night is coming.
Throughout this passage, we see
that God encourages Paul during his difficulties - but does not prevent those
difficulties. Paul reacts to this with one of the three great virtues: hope.
Hope
It is rare today to think of hope
as a virtue - but the church has always held it to be one, from the earliest
days. We need to consider it carefully.
The character of hope
First and foremost, hope must be
unconditional - otherwise it's merely wishful thinking. No matter what
happens, we must hope on:
(Job 13:15 NIV) Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him;
I will surely defend my ways to his face.
Is this hard for you? Perhaps
this might help. Often we lose hope because we can't see how God is going to
work things out. Because we cannot see, we do not hope. But is it necessary
to see? Or is it merely necessary to know? Suppose you knew how God was going
to work it out - suppose he told you. Would it make any difference to what you
are supposed to do? Of course not; your duty is clear. Then do it, and hope
in God for the deliverance to come.
The virtues of hope
There are two great virtues to a
living hope:
·
First, it is a source of patience. As long as we hope, we
persevere, and in perseverance we learn patience. Have you ever felt that your
children would never grow up?
·
Next, it is a source of strength. Isaiah puts it this way:
(Isa 40:30-31 NIV) Even youths grow tired and weary, and
young men stumble and fall; {31} but those who hope in the LORD will renew
their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow
weary, they will walk and not be faint.
The actions of hope
So then, what shall we do? It is
all well and good to talk about hope - but how do I put it into practice
daily? I am indebted to Bishop Jeremy Taylor (17th century) for
this answer - five acts of hope:
1. Rely
on God's promises. If He promises it, act like it is certain - depend upon it
in your daily life. Don't look for it - assume it.
2. Whenever
you encounter adversity, always think that it must be either God's chastisement
for your correction, or an opportunity for you to grow closer to Him. Either
way, He is your Father - correcting you or drawing you closer.
3. Rejoice
in hope - no matter what the misfortune.
4. Desire,
pray and long for the true hope of the Christian - the return of Jesus Christ.
Do not let the day go by without "Even so, Lord Jesus, come!"
5. And
while you are waiting for the Resurrection, persevere in this life in the
imitation of your Hope.