When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the Northeaster, swept down from the island. The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure, so the men hoisted it aboard. Then they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Because they were afraid they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along. We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.
After they 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. But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me 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.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.”

–Parallel verses:
‭‭II Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬-‭10‬
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭27‬:‭13‬-‭14‬
I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Hope can be a firm or fleeting thing. In this story, the sailors had hope in the odds of the weather being good. They had hope in their skill and ability. They had hope in the advice of others. But Paul’s hope was different. It was based on a different source. “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” (‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭6‬:‭19‬-‭20‬) Paul’s hope was anchored in Jesus, who has gone before us and made a way for us to have a direct relationship with God.

Paul cared about these men and needed to first warn them of the pending danger he knew about from the Lord. God then let them try every earthly means possible to survive the storm. He waited until nothing worked, and they had given up their efforts. Then he sent the angel to Paul with a message of hope. Paul then proceeded to tell them about the source of his hope. God waited until they were hungry to tell them about the source of eternal food. And then Paul prophesied to them about the future. The clear odds were now they were all doomed to die. But Paul knew the odds-maker, who can change the whole system.

No doubt, Paul had helped these men in every way he could. But now, it was time for God to take over. And so, he tells them that they will all live. He gives them HOPE IN GOD, when the hope they relied on in this world had disappeared.

And God does this for us today too. If we receive his hope, he will fill us with power and confidence to trust him in the toughest storms.

What challenges are you facing today? What storms in this life have wreaked havoc on all that you have relied on? God is reaching his hand out and he says … believe in me. He says trust me in the impossible, and I will make the impossible happen through you.

When Jesus talked with his disciples about how difficult it is for rich men who have hoarded their wealth and rely only on themselves, to enter the kingdom of heaven, he said this: “Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭19‬:‭26‬)

Lord, you know all that has happened, is happening, and will happen to us in this life. You see the great ending you have planned for those of us who truly are followers and are faithful to you. Help me to trust you in the storms of this life. Help me to speak truth to others in storms too. For it is not the storm and the challenges of life we are to focus on. This creates in us a spirit of fear. It is you. Only you. “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control].” (‭‭II Timothy‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬ ‭AMP‬‬)