YOU WILL GET TO THE OTHER SIDE

Have you been going through a difficult time and you feel you can’t take it anymore? Do you feel like all hope is lost? Today I have a word for you. I am also here to encourage you by telling you that you will get to the other side. In Acts 27, we see Paul and the other prisoners being taken to Italy to face the Centurion. While they were on their way, they encountered a storm. They had to throw the cargo, food, and basically what they had on the ship to lighten it to avoid drowning.

The storm, however, persisted. While this was going on, the angel of the Lord appeared to Paul. He told him he would make it because he had to stand trial before Ceaser. He also told Paul that not one person on the boat would die but the ship would be wrecked. The storm lasted for over 10 days and they had also gone for a while with no food. So I believe that when Paul told them that, they did not believe it because it did not seem like it. How were they going to make it through a storm that did not want to subside?

Paul Sails for Rome

 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 Day of Atonement.  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.

The Storm

¹³ When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; 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 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.

 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 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. 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 to whom I belong 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.”

The Shipwreck

²⁷ On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic^[c] 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^[d] deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was ninety feet^[e] 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 drift 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 I broke the stern 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 other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely.

Have you ever gone through a stormy season for so long that you lose hope of ever getting to the other side? Have you been through a long season of testing and trials that you have given up hope of ever getting to the other side? Maybe, just maybe, Paul felt the same way before the angel appeared to him and told him he would make it. Today I want to talk to that person who is in a seemingly unending storm and tell you that the sun will rise again.

You will get to the other side, and it will not always be this way. We can easily allow the storms of life to get to us. To where we believe that is how it will always be. When the Israelites were in Egypt, they always assumed that they would always be slaves. I mean they had been slaves for 400+ years. But God did get them out and in fact, He made the Egyptians pay their arrears. Thus the Israelites left Egypt rich. We can never know why God takes us through something until we get to the other side.

If you can relate;

What we can be sure of is that God will always work everything out for our good. God is the author and finisher of our faith. What He began in us, He will surely see that He completes it. Do not set up a permanent home in the storm. But also do not allow the storm to prevent you from living your life. The prisoners did not want to eat even after Paul had assured them they would be fine because they had given up. It took Paul breaking the bread and giving thanks for them to eat. Child of God, do not stop living your life and enjoying it because you are in a storm. Do not postpone your happiness. Remember that God is in the driver’s seat. And even when the enemy tries to destabilize you, God is in control.

God kept Paul and the other prisoners safe. Because God wanted them to share a story that He placed inside them. You have a story that God wants you to share with the world. Through you, there is someone who will get to fulfill their purpose, know God, and even find themselves. This chapter of your life is just a season and you have to get to the other side. Your story is valuable and God wants you to share what He has placed inside of you.

Do you feel like giving up? Don’t! The enemy will try to discourage you and tell you that things will never change. The enemy has also been telling you it too. That will only get worse to get you to give up. When he tells you that, remind him you have hope in Christ. God is not done with you yet. Remind him and you, too that God has not brought you this far to leave you here.

What to do while in a storm

Take it a day at a time.

While Paul was on the ship during the storm, his primary focus was on basic needs. He made sure that he and the prisoners ate and that was it. Just focus on the now and know that God got you. You should only focus on the things you can control and leave the ones you can’t to God. He has everything figured out, and He has a plan. Just try to make it through the day. It is okay to be afraid but press on. Do not allow your mind to wander or focus on the what-ifs or tomorrow. The only way to maintain your sanity is to take it a day at a time.

Gratitude

In moments of pain, it is so easy to focus on all the bad that is happening around you and you forget to look at the good. There are days you might have to look harder before you can get something to be grateful for. Try anyway. Although they were in a storm, we see Paul giving thanks to God for the food. There is always something positive, so focus on that. Gratitude shifts the atmosphere and reminds you that you have an even greater God.

Surrender it all to God

Once Paul realized that there was nothing he could do, he resolved to surrender it to God. That was why an answer came to him. God will always have something to encourage us and unless we stay close to Him, we will never know. Surrender could mean simply allowing God to take the driver’s seat. And allowing Him to help you navigate every season of your life. On other days, it could mean trusting Him with your tomorrow. Either way, give it all to Him.

Always remember that God has not brought you this far to leave you here

God always has a plan for every one of us. His will for us is always good. So if you are going through a hard time right now, know that there is a testimony that will encourage others as well. David, Joseph, and Abraham are all examples of people who faced trials in their days. But we see them, later on, get compensated. Things will always get better. After all, we move from glory to glory.

Find the lesson and the assignment in the storm

In the next chapter, we see Paul go to Malta and heal Publius’s father, who had been sick. In every storm, there is an assignment that God has for us to fulfill. We know God is strategic, and He always does things for a reason. In Paul’s case, the storm led him to Malta to heal someone. And also to have people know about God and Jesus. What is your assignment? What does God want you to fulfill? Who does God want you to reach?

Do not discredit yourself. You are worthy and have a voice. People want to hear your story too, and God wants to use you to reach people. There is a voice in you that can reach a group of people that no one else can and maybe that is why you are in that hard time now. Do not lose hope. Keep holding on and remember, the sun will shine again. God has good things waiting for you on the horizon, faint not! You will get to the other side.