The beloved physician Luke wrote how he, Paul, and others with him were sailing through a storm toward Rome, and “after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, you should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and lossAnd now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, saying, Fear not, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God has given you all them that sail with you. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island”, and in chapter twenty-seven and verse twenty-seven of the book of Acts Luke shared what happened, “when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria” where we read:
But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria,
about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country;
The verse begins, “But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, ...” Luke began with the words, “but when the fourteenth night was come” which means “however, nonetheless, notwithstanding and moreover at the time and moment the fourteenth time for work to cease and the weary give themselves up to slumber”, “as we were driven up and down” or “during the time he, Paul and the others aboard the ship were being tossed, carried and cast to and fro and up and down” “in Adria” whose name means “without wood and refers to the Adriatic Sea which is between Greece and Italy”. Luke shared how “fourteen” nights passed while he, Paul and the others aboard the ship were being tossed up and down and to and from within the Adriatic Sea which was between Greece and Italy.
The verse goes on to say, “... about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country;” Luke continued with the words, “about midnight” which means “around the time of the middle of the night” “the shipmen deemed” or “the sailors and mariners thought and surmised” “that they drew near to some country” which means “the all aboard the ship were being carried toward and approaching a certain region or tract of land or ground”. Luke shared how the sailors on the ship determined in the middle of the fourteenth night that they were close to a certain region or tract of land
When we think through Luke's words in this verse, we learn the location of the ship sailing toward Rome and how the sailors aboard the ship surmised that they were close to a tract of land. We can imagine how this caused some hope within the people aboard, and for the first time in “fourteen days and nights”, there was the possibility of being saved. God was watching over all these events, and because His servant “Paul” was destined to share His gospel of salvation through His Son Jesus in “Rome”, the people on board the ship would be rescued. God loves people, and although there may be difficult times or “storms” that seem to never end in their lives, He provides hope through Jesus who will forgive the sins of all who believe and trust in Him. God wants people to live with Him in Heaven for all eternity, and only those who yield themselves to Jesus will be granted access into His “storm-free” eternal home.
Next time Luke shares how the shipmen, “sounded, and found it twenty fathoms”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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