Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore. 14 But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land. 15 And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we managed with difficulty to secure the ship’s boat. 17 After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear, and thus they were driven along. 18 Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day to jettison the cargo. 19 And 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 no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.
21 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.”
Just over a week ago we visited Mount Washington in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Mount Washington, is an ultra-prominent mountain and the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at 6,288.2 ft. It is the most topographically prominent mountain east of the Mississippi River. The mountain is notorious for its erratic weather. Here’s photo showing Diane and me at the summit of the mountain. Even though it was a pleasant day at the foot of the mountain (55 degrees +/-). The windchill on top of the mountain was closer to 35 degrees. But just last Friday the mountain lived up to its notorious reputation for erratic weather. Snow began accumulating the day after we visited, marking the first significant storm of the season. Approximately 2.5 inches was blanketing the summit as of Friday afternoon, capped with a layer of ice. Weather there is not only notoriously erratic, it is also brutal. The highest recorded wind speed at a manned weather station was recorded there: winds in excess of 200 MPH.
It wasn’t a matter of windchill that caused Paul and his shipmates such grave concerns. It was the Northeaster storm that buffeted the boat. Lasting several days, and forcing the crew to throw cargo and even the ship’s tackle overboard to stay afloat, it was a brutal storm! Despite their best efforts, they feel powerless against the fury of nature, eventually losing all hope of being saved (v. 20). Paul will testify to God’s providential care and point them toward God’s promise of a successful journey to Rome – albeit with the loss of the ship and cargo. Thankfully no lives will be lost.
We are vulnerable to nature’s forces however they may be caused and however they may come. There comes a time when human effort will fail in the face of tumultuous weather. The recent hurricanes hitting Florida testify to that fact.
Mother Nature isn’t the one in charge of the weather. That’s God’s department. And since the creation of time, the weather has testified to God’s omnipotence and man’s limits. We may not like to face storms of any severity. But when we do we best look to God for help and salvation. Storms may well remind us of our human limitations, and our need to rely on God. We may need to take action to secure our lives and property in these storms, but we can take comfort in knowing that God is over it all.
How do your actions and reactions to grave danger or tumultuous weather reflect your faith?
David Bahn - Reflections 
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