Blessed be the name of the Lord
….now and forever.
Everywhere—from east to west—
….praise the name of the Lord. Psalm 113:2-3 NLT
Acts 27:1-12 (<<click here to read the passage)
A regular occurrence in my life is hearing that still small voice giving direction. Some would say it is my conscience, but I believe it is the Holy Spirit. We all have to deal with temptation in our lives. Sometimes they are temptations regarding big things that will bring us down in a hurry if we yield to them. And other times they are very small things, that in and of themselves are almost nothing. But I have found that even those very small temptations if yielded to, can gang up on me and once accumulated, take me down just as hard.
If we have sought Jesus’ forgiveness, the Holy Spirit is a part of who we are. He is with us night and day, guiding and inspiring us along our way. And if we are listening, He is that still small voice that warns us of impending dangers for our souls. At least in my experience, He doesn’t yell or smack me upside the head – though there are probably times when that might get me to pay more attention to Him! But, no, His ways with me in these circumstances, are to whisper to the ears of my heart. He whispers that I should turn and not yield to the temptation. No matter how appealing they might seem, they will surely lead me down a dangerous path.
In today’s passage, it is obvious that Paul was listening to that still small voice. He was attuned to the Holy Spirit speaking to him and shared what he felt was a prudent message to the powers that be.
“Men,” he said, “I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on—shipwreck, loss of cargo, and danger to our lives as well.” v10
Paul heard the still small voice,
But the officer in charge of the prisoners listened more to the ship’s captain and the owner than to Paul. v11 NLT
Trouble was brewing for sure! But, in this case, the temptation of greater comfort in a “better” harbor led them down a very dangerous course!
You would think their journey thus far would have been enough to back up Paul’s dire warning…but it wasn’t.
Early on they had encountered strong headwinds that made it difficult to keep the ship on course v4
They changed ships and verses 7-9 clearly pointed to a foreboding future.
They had several days of slow sailing… the wind was against them, and they struggled along the coast with great difficulty… They had lost a lot of time. The weather was becoming dangerous for sea travel because it was so late in the fall…
Their foolishness in following their own heart’s desires would bring ruin upon them…but more on that soon.
Lord Jesus, may we take to heart Your Spirit’s words which He faithfully whispers into the ears of our hearts. May our heart’s desire be to hear and obey. Amen.
Aug 16th, 2022, Tues, 8:05 pm
