David Bahn – Reflections

Acts 27:21-25

Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. 22 Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, 24 and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ 25 So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. 26 But we must run aground on some island.”

In a recent Bible class a young woman asked a very insightful and probing question: “How do I really believe this stuff? It’s almost like believing in unicorns, and sometimes I just don’t know how to get there.” Sometimes I have the same reaction to those who talk about God speaking to them directly, revealing some secret or future event. It truly is like believing in unicorns. It doesn’t hurt if someone does believe in unicorns, but I will certainly be skeptical of that person’s advise.

Then along comes this occasion of God speaking to Paul regarding their future in the face of what must have been a frightful storm at sea. God spoke to Paul through an angel telling him that he and all those who traveled with him would be kept safe. There is also the particular fact that they “must run aground on some island.” (The full account of the lead-up to this moment in Acts 27 is worth the read.)

I have not had any first hand experience with such revelation, though I have experienced what must be God’s hand of guidance and the Holy Spirit’s clear direction in my life. But far from unicorns or overly-active imaginations, God’s wisdom and knowledge is a treasure for which we must give thanks. As we learn to discern his voice, or receive the message of his angels we will likely be directed to places where we would not otherwise go. It may start with a change of attitude. It may bring personal clarity of purpose.

In the mean time, we must be sure to serve and worship God alone: “…there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship…” We don’t worship unicorns, nor do we belong to our cravings for special revelation. We belong to God and serve and worship him alone. What’s more, the means by which we test any spirit is by the word of God alone. God’s word will never lead us astray.