Meditation for October 15, 2008

From The Rev. Peter A. Munson

Portions of Acts 27

 

6 There [from Myra in modern-day Turkey] the centurion found an Alexandrian ship bound 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 was against us, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone.  8 Sailing past it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, neary the city of Lasea.  9 Since much time had been lost, and sailing now was dangerous..., Paul addressed them, 10 saying, "Sirs, I can see that the voyage will be with danger and much heavy 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 Since the harbor was not suitable for spending the winter, the majority was in favor of putting to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, where they could spend the winter.  It was a harbor of Crete... 14 But soon a violent wind, called the northeaster, rushed down from Crete.  15 Since the ship was caught and could not be turned head-on into the wind, we gave way to it and were driven... 18 We were being pounded by the storm so violently that on the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard... 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest raged, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.

 

21 Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul then stood up among them and said, "Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and thereby avoided this damage and loss.  22 I urge you now to keep your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.  23 For last night there stood by 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 the emperor; and indeed, God has granted safety to all those who are sailing with you.' 25 So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.  26 But we will have to run aground on some island."

 

Discernment During Fearful Times

 

Paul, as a prisoner, was being transported from Caesarea (in Palestine) to Rome, to make his appeal before the emperor.  Luke, the author of Acts, gives us quite a vivid account of the storm that came upon the ship as it was making its way westward through the Mediterranean Sea.  Paul, once the ship made its way to Fair Havens, a harbor on the south side of the island of Crete, warned the crew that they should not continue sailing (verse 10), as doing so would lead to loss of the cargo and their lives.  His advice was ignored, and it was after leaving Fair Havens that the ship and the men really got into trouble!  Imagine being driven by a storm for two weeks, without the help of the stars or sun for navigation.  Imagine not eating during that entire time, either because you felt too sick to eat (probably true for most of the crew), or because you were fasting and praying for all you were worth.  Perhaps Paul (and Luke, if he was accompanying Paul) weren't eating for both reasons.  Things were now absolutely terrible.  Luke puts it quite succinctly, "... all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned." (verse 20)

 

This was the bleakest time, the darkest and lowest point on the voyage.  It is precisely at this time that Paul has an encounter with an angel of the Lord. (verse 23)  Perhaps if you or I were in that situation, we might wonder if we were delirious and seeing things!  Paul trusted the vision, maybe in large part because of the words that came with it.  He heard the angel say 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before the emperor, and indeed, God has granted safety to all those who are sailing with you.' (verse 24)  Given new courage ("encouraged") from this vision, Paul shares it with the men and tells them to have courage.  More than that, he tells them "I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told." (verse 25)  The ship did eventually run aground on the island of Malta, and was broken into pieces.  But all on board - 276 of them, according to Luke - managed to get to shore safely. (Acts 27:36-44)

 

How do we react during fearful times?  One of our church members suffered a heart attack on the parish retreat this past weekend.  As some of us first got the news of what was happening, I realized that my mind started to go a bit crazy at first.  In just a few seconds, I was thinking of many possible scenarios, and about where I was most needed.  Our group was not all gathered in the same place when the incident happened, and, in fact, the man who suffered the heart attack was actually separated from the rest of us.  Unlike Paul, we had the advantage of being able to make some key communications by using cell phones.  Unlike Paul, there were quite a few of us around who knew each other, so we could collaborate and discern together.  And we even had two nurses - one active, one retired - in our group!  All these things turned out to be major blessings.  We were able to get our friend to a nearby hospital (in the mountains) rather quickly, and then he was transported from there to a hospital in Denver.  The good news turned out to be that these quick actions, and the treatment he received in the mountains, helped keep it from being a more serious heart attack.

 

But still the question remains - how do we react during fearful times?  There can be a tendency to panic.  Like the men on Paul's ship, we might reach a point where we are ready to abandon all hope.  It is precisely at such times that we need to re-ground ourselves, and re-connect to the one who has promised to never leave us.  It is precisely at such times that we need to take a few moments and remember to breathe, and turn inward, trusting in the truth - that the Holy Spirit is indeed within us and available to guide us.

 

Perhaps in some ways it is easier to pray when we are feeling overwhelmed.  On the other hand, sometimes we are so overwhelmed that we can feel very lost, and forget to pray, or find it difficult to pray.  We can, in those moments when we find it difficult to pray, do one helpful thing.  We can ask others to pray for us.  When we can't pray, others can - and will.  That has been my experience, and what a comfort that is.  But there is even more good news.  According to Paul, "... the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words." (Romans 8:26)

 

Perhaps Paul had some difficulty praying in the midst of the terrible storm they all experienced as they tried to sail to Rome.  Perhaps after the storm, he realized that the Spirit had already been interceding for all of them.  When we are in fearful or even desperate times, the Spirit is already interceding for us, too - before we even think to begin praying.  Even if we don't receive the kind of vision that Paul received, we can remember that - time and time again, throughout the pages of the Bible - God shows up to his overwhelmed people and gives them the same message:  "Do not be afraid."  God does show up to us.  That is the best news.  God does not leave us alone - anytime.  But this is especially true when we find ourselves in a fearful situation.  God is just a breath away.  We only need to remind ourselves of that.  God is with us, and God is for us.  And all will be well, exactly because God is with us.