God's Word Is Comforting ~ VBS Sunday

Two nights this week the children at Vacation Bible School heard the story of the apostle Paul who near the end of his life was shipwrecked at sea. Since the whole theme of VBS this year was a High Seas Expedition and since we are currently sitting in this sailing ship, it seemed appropriate for us hear and reflect on this story of Paul (it is found in Acts 27). Even though Paul was a devout Jewish leader, he was called by God to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the Gentiles. As Paul does this through the Roman Empire, the opposition grows. At times Paul is chased out of villages and even thrown in jail, and at this point in Paul’s life he is actually under arrest and being transported to Rome to stand trail before Caesar.


The quickest way for the roman officials to get Paul to Rome was to put him on a boat and sail across the Mediterranean Sea, and after two short voyages, Paul and his companions as well as his captors are transported to a larger ship that will carry them to Rome, but that journey was slow going due to prevailing winds and storms. Paul advised the ships captain and crew that to continue their voyage would be dangerous, but they didn’t listen to Paul, and why would they – Paul was a prisoner and beside that Paul had never been a sailor so what did he know about storms and boats. So they continue their voyage and just as Paul had said their ship was caught in the middle of a fierce storm. We now pick up the story in Acts 27:15-20.

Now I want us to stop here and think about something. Paul had been called by God to preach and teach about Jesus and up until this point Paul doing his best to be faithful to God’s will for his life, but nothing seems to be going well. Paul has been arrested, thrown into prison, and here he is trying to warn people about the dangers they face and no one listens to him so they get caught up fierce storms that threaten to destroy them all. Paul is doing the right thing and trying to be faithful and yet nothing seems to be going well. There is an important truth we need to learn from Paul’s experience here; following Jesus doesn’t mean that everything will always go well for us. Being faithful and obedient to God doesn’t mean we won’t face problems and obstacles in life because we will.

I’m not sure where the idea came from that if we love God and if God loves us then nothing bad will ever happen to us. Bad things do happen. We will experience obstacles and problems in life but that doesn’t mean God doesn’t love us. There are lots of problems people face today; job loss, financial problems, home foreclosures, broken families, health problems, disease, accidents even death – we face all kinds of obstacles in life and we face these problems even as we strive to be faithful to God, but none of these problems means that God has abandoned us, and none of these problems means that God doesn’t love us. God loved Paul and God called Paul for a special purpose and plan , but that love and plan didn’t mean that everything was going to be smooth sailing. If we are going through a difficult time right now, if things aren’t turning out the way we planned or if we are going through a fierce and turbulent storm, the first thing we need to remember is that the storm doesn’t mean that God has given up on us, or that God doesn’t care for us, as it says in Romans 8:31-39, there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Our problems can not keep God away and so as we face any kind of storm in life, we need to remember that God is with us.

That the presence and power of God is with us in the storms of life is the first truth that Paul shares with the people, look at Acts 27:23 - for last night there stood by me and angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship. God had not forgotten them and God had not abandoned them, the angel that came and stood by Paul reminded him that God was still there. In the mist of the storm - God was still with them and Paul shares this with the people on the ship to give them encouragement. So in the midst of the storms and problems we face today, that same truth applies, God is by our side. The truth we need to hold on to is that God is present with us. Sometimes it is hard to feel God’s presence and power in our lives, but just because we can’t feel it doesn’t mean God is not there. Jesus said, I will never leave you nor forsake you, I will be with you always, even to the end of the age and as the children learned this week, God’s word is true, so we can go forward into the storm with confidence.

God is not just present with us, but God is faithful to his promises and that is the second truth we learn from Paul. Not only is God with them on the ship but God promises to help them. God says to Paul, do not be afraid, you and all who travel with you will be saved. God promises safety to Paul and all the people of the ship and that promise brings comfort. God’s word is comforting. When we face problems in life we can turn to God’s word to find promises which really can bring comfort and hope and strength when we need it. God’s word not only promises that God is with us, but it promises that God will forgive us. Psalm 103:12 says, as far as the east is from the west, so far will God remove our sin from us, and 1 John 1:7 says, the blood of Jesus God’s son cleanses us from all sin.

God also promises to love us no matter what. In Zephaniah 3:17 it says, the Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with singing. And just as God promised to rescue Paul on the ship, God also promises to rescue us, see Psalm 18:4-6, 16-19. Now we need to be clear that the rescue may not come the way we want it or in the time frame we want, do you know that Paul remained on the ship and in the storm for two more weeks until the ship broke to pieces and people had to swim for shore. I’m sure that was not the kind of rescue Paul may have been hoping for, but God rescued them, and God rescues us as well. God will lift us up out of the storms and set us solid ground and God does this because he loves and has a plan for our lives.

And that is the last truth Paul shares with the people on the ship, that no matter what storm we may be going through, God has a purpose and plan for his life. God says to Paul, you must stand before the emperor, which means that Paul will get to Rome which means he will be rescued. God has purpose and plan for Paul’s life and God has a purpose and plan for our lives as well. One of the greatest promises in scripture comes from God in Jeremiah 29:11. God does have a plan for our lives and if we are willing to ask God what that plan is and if we are willing to give ourselves to God and the purpose God has for us, God will not only share that plan with us, but like Paul, God will lead us through the storms of life to that place where God’s purpose and plan will be fulfilled.

As we look at the world today we may see a lot of uncertainty and even in our lives we may be facing storms and trials that threaten to destroy us, but we can learn from Paul to find strength in God’s presence, and assurance in God’s promises and hope for the future because God does have a purpose and plan for all of our lives. This is God’s word for us and God’s word is true. Yes, lets go and face the storms and trials of life with faith and trust in the God who will see us through.