November 15
November 15
God’s sovereign rule over all things, all of the time, does not make our decisions and choices meaningless or inconsequential.
The book of Acts records the incredible story of the apostle Paul’s shipwreck. But this is much more than just another story about an accident at sea. What we need to focus on as we read this account is not the drama of the moment, but the way in which the story is told. This tale is preserved for us to increase our knowledge of who God is and how he works, as well as our understanding of our responsibility as his creatures. This theologically rich story instructs us in God’s ongoing work of rescue and transformation:
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.
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. Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, 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.’” (Acts 27:20–24)
Paul and the other people on board were enduring a powerful storm. It had not relented for days. They were too anxious to eat. It seemed sure that there would be a great loss of life, but Paul told them otherwise. God had revealed to him that he had ordained that no one on this ship would be lost. This preordained plan was not just for Paul, but for all of the 276 people on board. After Paul revealed God’s plan to them, we read:
And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, and had lowered the ship’s boat into the sea under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow, Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship’s boat and let it go. (Acts 27:30–32)
Now which is true? Were all the lives in the ship preserved because God had ordained it, or because they chose to do what Paul had advised and to remain on the ship? The best biblical answer to this question is both. God accomplishes his sovereign plan through the means of our valid choices and actions. The Bible says God’s sovereignty is a call to both rest of heart and a life of wise and obedient choices. Take heart: God is sovereign. Live wisely: your choices matter.