And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius. 2 And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. 3 The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. 4 And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. 5 And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8 Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.
9 Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast was already over, Paul advised them, 10 saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. 12 And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.
We “enjoyed” a picnic lunch today. I say “enjoyed” because it was a bit of a challenge to enjoy it fully. The picnic table was serviceable – after cleaning it off. The shelter was adequate – though we didn’t need it for protection from the sun. The food was great – even though it has been the same for the past 5 or 6 days. The company was delightful – though we all scurried back to the car as soon as we were finished eating. The weather was the challenge. It was a bit on the nippy side: “feels like 43 degrees” our weather app said. We all agreed: it felt like 38 degrees. But it was totally suitable.
Paul and his traveling companions were looking for a suitable place to spend the winter. Their voyage to Rome had been challenging. They sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow [them] to go farther, [they] sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone,coasting along it with difficulty.” It was getting too late to continue on through the winter months, so they had to find a suitable place to spend the winter; suitable being the key word.
Paul’s definition of suitable was safe and secure. The sailor’s definition was fun and fascinating. The owner of the ship had in mind successful. All three of these definitions were in competition with the others. Each wanted to preempt the other.
Recent hurricanes in Florida make finding suitable shelter a much more difficult and challenging quest. This is not a matter of comfort, fun, or enjoyment. Some of the people there are literally looking for a place to live in hopes of surviving the storms. Theirs are not first world problems.
Sometimes we remind each other that our concerns or frustrations are first world problems.nA cracked phone screen. A dead phone battery. Forgetting your headphones. Feeling like there’s nothing to eat when there is food available. We very seldom worry about surviving the winter. We’ve not had to dodge the one-two punch of one hurricane after another. Suitability has much to do with the urgency of our situation. We’re so sated we worry about the kind of bedding we sleep on. We don’t give a second thought to being able to find a bed.
I think of the circumstances Paul and his companions will endure as this trip continues. They are in for quite a bumpy ride. Dangerous. Disastrous. Deadly. Through it all their definition of suitability will change according to their most obvious need.
Maslow postulated that there is a hierarchy of needs. According to his reckoning we don’t really care about self-actualization if we are worried about self-survival. Yet, at whatever level of needs we find ourselves there is a need for God’s grace, his divine provision, and his eternal salvation. We may be numbed to those needs by our first world comforts. There are no atheists in foxholes. Nor should there should ever be ungrateful people in the pleasant places of life.
If God has drawn your boundaries in pleasant places (cf. Psalm 16:6) it is suitable, to say the least, for you to praise and thank him, even as we pray for and send whatever aid we are able to those who cannot even find a suitable place of safety from the storm.
David Bahn - Reflections 
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