On the last leg of his trip to appear before Caesar, Paul and his shipmates are involved in a terrible storm off the coast of Malta where the ship is destroyed; the crew and passengers are saved without loss of life.

“Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up” (Acts 27:20, NKJV). 

It is often the case that God allows us to come to the very brink of disaster, to the point of desperation, before He grants relief from our situation or circumstances. Often times we are too quick, I believe, to seek relief from our trials. Too quick because it is in trial and tribulation that our faith is strengthened. Instead of seeking immediate relief we should “be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10 NKJV). Trusting that He always is with us as He promised, we ought to look for the opportunity to allow our faith to grow. Faith, our spiritual muscle, like our physical muscles, must be exercised in order to grow stronger. As any athlete knows, exercise can sometimes be very painful and strenuous, but it is absolutely necessary to build strength and stamina.

Even though Paul and his fellow travelers were under much stress and fear, God is with them. He sends His angel to stand by Paul in the midst of the tempest (v. 23), not to calm the storm, but to restore the hope that was lost. His faith bolstered, Paul encourages the others and again stands ready to trust God completely.

Here again is a stumbling block if we are not careful. We suppose that when God rescues us from a situation that we will not encounter other difficulties, however in verse 26 Paul gives them the news that they are soon to be shipwrecked.

Whether we grow in faith or try to cling to what little faith we have depends, to some degree on how we receive the news of future trials. Do we view them as opportunities to grow in faith and wisdom or do we see them as hopeless situations?

Are we determined to believe and trust God in all situations, even those that seem hopeless? When we are able to do so; an angel of the Lord will stand by us, too!

Rev. Bobby Thornhill is a retired pastor.