There are some places you go to that you never forget.
They stick in your memory forever.
And for me, one of these is Malta.
Bridget and I went on a cruise to celebrate special birthdays.
And one of the places I went to was Malta.
And I remember going in.
It was a bright, sunny day.
The sea was very calm.
And as you came towards Malta, you saw this stunning city on the hill above you,
a big, fortified city.
You don't really get a proper impression with it from a photo.
It was absolutely magnificent.
One place I think I will never forget.
I think Luke also would never forget when he came to Malta.
But his circumstances were very different from ours.
Luke swam ashore.
Perhaps he was clinging to some driftwood as the ship they were on had broken up.
after 14 days in a storm, a wild storm at sea.
Not knowing where they were, not knowing where they were going and fearing for their lives.
And I'm sure as Luke came to Malta, he was very thankful that God had preserved his life
and everyone else on board.
Thankful too, as we saw in the reading for the great hospitality offered to them by the Maltese people.
And I think we can be thankful to Luke or thankful for Luke for the account that he gives us
or in the passage that he's read to us.
It is really tense.
It is in many ways quite exciting.
And it draws us in as a great adventure.
And of course, Luke was recording it firsthand.
It's clear from the way Luke writes his book, the Book of Acts,
whether he is there or not there.
He talks about we or they.
This is definitely one of the we passages.
Luke had come through the storm and he gives us a very vivid account of it.
And there were two things that particularly struck me
as I was thinking of this chapter over the last week.
The first thing is that God, in his mercy, provides for us,
but he doesn't always provide in the ways that we expect.
And the second thing is that we have opportunities as believers, as Christians,
and knowing the Lord Jesus, we have opportunities to influence others,
even if we're not in positions of formal authority.
And I hope we'll see both of these as we go through this morning.
But I want to begin by just walking through the passage.
I have read it beautifully, but there's a lot in it.
So let's just go through again and just make sure we understand what is going on.
So if you've been following in previous weeks,
you'll know that Paul had come to Jerusalem.
He was hoping to end up in Rome, but he'd come to Jerusalem.
When he was in Jerusalem, he was arrested.
He was in prison in Caesarea for two years,
no doubt chafing at the bit to get away.
And then he is sent away to Rome because he appeals to Caesar.
He is sent away to Rome as a prisoner.
And that's where we pick it up this morning.
Paul, along with Luke, and with another man called Aristarchus,
who was one of those who had accompanied Paul to Jerusalem,
they joined the boat that is going ultimately towards Rome.
I always like a good map.
So let's put a map up and we'll walk through it just to get a feel for the journeys of Paul.
And his companions start off at the bottom right in Caesarea,
and they're heading up to the top left, which is Rome.
So first of all, they're on probably a relatively small ship
that takes them around the coast, around the top of Cyprus,
and they come to this place called Myra.
Relatively uneventful part of the journey, I think,
although they're the first signs of bad weather, of stormy weather,
as they make that bit of the journey.
But that is the relatively straightforward bit.
Now, the boat they were on was probably quite a small boat.
It wasn't one that would either be going to Rome
or would be suitable for going to Rome.
So they then pick up a much bigger boat at the port there.
And that's where their problems begin.
So the idea would have been they would have gone west,
so gone left in the map there.
But actually what happens is they get into really stormy weather,
and they have to head south, and they end up in Crete.
Now, a big part of the problem with that
is that they were running against a very tight deadline.
If you're sailing in the Mediterranean,
there are parts of the year when it's safe to sail,
and there are parts of the year when it's not safe to sail.
And Paul and his companions landed in Crete
just about the time when it was becoming unsafe to sail.
He refers, you may have noticed in the passage,
to it being after the Day of Atonement.
It was probably early October.
And it was getting to the point where it was going to be
very stormy weather on the seas,
and you probably didn't want to be making that hop from Crete
over towards Italy, probably Sicily initially.
And so there was a decision to make.
They were in a place in Crete that wasn't a very good harbour,
it wasn't in many ways a very safe harbour,
and the question was how much further could they get before the weather set in.
And Paul says, don't try it.
Just stay here.
If you go from here, the ship's going to get destroyed.
There will probably be loss of life.
And at that point, Paul is outnumbered.
Paul, remember, is a prisoner.
We'll come back to that.
He's a prisoner, so really has no status at all on the boat.
So Paul says, don't go.
But the captain and the centurion who's looking after Paul and the prisoners,
they decide they're going to go along the coast of Crete,
probably a distance of about 40 miles,
and find somewhere that's a bit more suitable,
and then stay there for the winter.
That place is called Phoenix, if you can see there on the map of Crete.
So it wasn't a very big distance they were planning to go.
They were going to go about 40 miles.
They ended up traveling about 600 miles.
600 miles in a boat that was totally out of control.
They didn't know where they were.
There was nothing they could do to help themselves.
They were just drifting along at sea.
And they did a number of things to try and help the situation.
They came behind a small island that's talked about in the passage.
They took the lifeboat onto the ship.
The lifeboat would probably have been dangling behind the ship,
being towed along by the ship.
So they took it on so that it was a bit more secure.
They tied ropes around the ship to prevent it from falling to pieces.
Eventually, they started throwing things out of the ship
and lowering the anchors to prevent them drifting towards Africa.
So you just see the bottom of the map is the north coast of Africa,
where there were some really dangerous sandbanks and rocks
where they might have got destroyed.
But basically, they don't know where they are
and they don't know what's going to happen.
They're in a huge storm at sea.
It's dark all the time.
The wind is blowing.
The rain is falling down.
And it's a desperate situation.
And they're all just about giving up hope
when Paul intervenes and says,
an angel of the Lord has come to me
and he's revealed we're all going to be saved.
We'll wash up on some island.
And that island, of course, turns out to be Malta,
down towards the bottom left,
the southwest on the map that's on the screen.
So they end up in Malta,
but not in a straightforward way.
They approach it at night.
They recognize that they're coming to land
and the sailors think,
great, this is our chance.
We'll get the life vote and we'll go away.
We'll save ourselves
and just leave the rest to whatever happens to them.
Paul thwarts that plan
and they all end up together coming towards Malta,
but they get stuck on a sandbank
and the last little bit,
they have to swim.
Really terrifying experience for everybody.
And yet an experience where we can see
that God is ultimately in control.
276 people left the port on that ship.
Despite everything that happened,
276 people arrived in Malta,
all of them safe.
We then in Malta have the story
of a number of things that happened to Paul.
As he was helping to get wood,
a snake came out of the wood
and extremely bit him,
but didn't do him any harm.
He was able to heal Publius' servant,
the chief man on the island
and do many other miracles as well.
And then the final bit,
they wait three months in Malta
and the last bit is pretty straightforward.
They head first for Sicily,
then for the bottom of Italy
and work their way up.
Last bit on foot
and they're accompanied by some
of the Roman Christians for the last part.
So that briefly is what happened.
That is how Paul got from Caesarea,
from the land where he came from,
right up to Rome at the end.
Not as expected.
But as I said,
there are two things that really struck me
as I was reading this passage.
And we're going to start
by thinking about Paul's unexpected influence.
Now just think about the situation here.
You've got Paul.
He's a prisoner.
He's in chains.
Whether he was in chains all the time in the ship,
we don't know.
He might well have been chained to a soldier,
more or less continuously.
Paul is a prisoner.
No status at all on this ship.
Yes, he was probably recognized
as a celebrity prisoner, if you like,
not just a normal murderer,
robber or something like that.
Nevertheless, he has no formal status on the ship.
And yet again and again,
as you read through,
it seems to be Paul who's actually in control here.
He's the one who's able to identify what's happening,
to think through the situations
and give wise advice,
who has God on his side
and receives messages from God,
and who ultimately is the one
who can give the assurance
that they'll be brought safely to land
and to do the things that bring it about.
This man who is a prisoner,
who is in that sense the lowest of the low on the ship,
is ultimately the person
who is able to save everyone there
with God's help
and to bring them to land.
And we might say,
well, why is that?
And how does that impact on us?
And I think what came to me
over the last few days
is the opportunities that we too have
to be influences for good,
to be representatives of God,
even when we're positions
where we don't have a given authority,
where we're not in a position of power.
Even if at work,
we're in a relatively junior position,
even if in our neighbourhood,
we're not particularly influential or well-known,
even in the church,
if we're not in the leadership.
There are opportunities
to be good representatives of God
and to be influences on others.
So let's just talk about a few things here.
The first thing I think we notice about Paul
is he has a very attractive character.
Did you notice by the time they got to Sidon,
which wasn't very far away from Caesarea,
he had so impressed the centurion
that the centurion was happy for this prisoner
to go and to meet the people,
the Christians in Sidon.
As you go in the boat,
you can see respect building for Paul
as time goes on.
The people liked him,
people took to him.
And then when they came to Malta,
what's happened?
Paul was helping them to gather the wood.
He wasn't saying,
well, I'm above this or I'm a prisoner,
I shouldn't have to do that.
Paul was pulling his weight,
helping the people on the island,
and then later helping them when they were ill.
So at the end,
they were really honoring him
and they really were attracted to him.
Paul had a very attractive character.
And that should be the case of us too,
if we're Christians,
that we should be demonstrating
the fruit of the Spirit
that Paul talks about in Galatians.
And we should be people
who others can look up to
and can think,
yes, there's someone I can respect,
someone who shows virtuous character,
someone who is friendly and helpful.
We should be attractive to others.
Now, there will be times
when we can live like that.
And just because we're Christians,
people will be opposed to us
and will try to do us down.
But we have a duty to live as we can
for the Lord Jesus.
There's a lovely verse in 1 Peter 3,
which talks about the unfading beauty
of a gentle and quiet spirit.
I like that.
The unfading beauty
of a gentle and quiet spirit.
And that's what we,
if we're Christians,
should seek to have
as we seek to emulate
and to learn from
the character of the Lord Jesus.
So Paul had an attractive character.
Second thing Paul clearly had
was personal authority.
When Paul spoke,
people listened.
Now, in this case,
it's helped that the first time he spoke,
he was right.
He warned them of danger.
And there was danger.
And so they weren't so quick
to dismiss him other times.
But Paul had authority.
Paul was able to say with authority,
you will be saved.
No one will die on this boat.
Paul was able to say,
we all need to eat food now.
We haven't been eating for the last week
because it's been so dreadful.
We've been so tense and perhaps seasick.
Now is the time we need to eat
because as we come to land,
we'll need strength.
Paul is able to see
and to say that the sailors
are about to abandon ship
and leave everyone behind.
And the centurion listens to him
and acts on it.
Paul is a man who,
as you go through,
you can see that he has
personal authority.
And that's something that is good
for us to have as well.
That people know that we're those
who are worth listening to.
When we say things,
we don't say them to be unhelpful
or to be spiteful
or to do people down.
We say things that are designed to help
and to encourage
and to move things forward.
And if we're like that,
people will listen to us.
We may not be the most talkative.
We may not be the most loud.
But if when we speak,
people can see,
yes, that is something
that is worth hearing,
then when we have something
really important to say,
we will do it with authority
and people will listen to us
as they did to Paul.
Peter writes,
same chapter referred to before,
chapter 3,
always be prepared
to give an answer
to everyone
who asks you to give
the reason for the hope
that you have,
but do this
with gentleness
and respect.
I think that's a large part
of the secret
of gaining authority
to show gentleness
and respect,
but to speak in a way
which people believe
and they understand
that you have the right
to say it.
One of my appraisals
and work,
one of the quite surprising things
my boss said to me one time
was he said,
you're the conscience
of the department.
I had no idea
that he thought like that.
Now it wasn't that I'd been
going around saying,
I'm a Christian,
you can't do this,
you can't do that
and we must act
in this way.
But I think what he felt
was I was someone
who had the interests
of customers at heart
and sometimes would say,
okay,
that may seem commercially good
but it's not good
for our customers,
it's probably not
the right thing to do.
And so he felt
that I had something
worthwhile to contribute
that when I spoke
in these circumstances
I had authority
and whether he was right
or not I don't know
but that was his impression.
And I think all of us,
wherever we are,
if we are careful
in what we say
and if we try to be helpful
and positive
then we will gain authority.
One of the things
worth noting
on Paul's authority,
Paul's authority
was used particularly
to express a message
of hope.
This reassurance
that everyone would be saved
if they acted
in the way
that he suggested
they should.
His was a message,
yes,
God is with us,
God can help us,
you can have hope
for the future.
And perhaps for us,
one of the great opportunities
to speak with authority
is when people are going
through difficult situations,
when they're struggling
with life
and when they're looking ahead
and saying,
I don't know
what's going to happen,
we really don't have any hope.
That was the situation
on this boat here.
Well, we have a great message
of hope
through the Lord Jesus.
That Jesus came
into this world,
that he lived,
that he died
for our sins
and that through him
we can have eternal life.
But more than that,
through him in this life
we can know his peace
and his presence
and his guidance.
And even in the most
difficult times
we can have hope
through the Lord Jesus.
And that's a message
we can give with authority.
We can give it
with the authority
of the Bible.
That there is hope
for those who may appear
hopeless.
And however bad
someone's situation,
the Lord Jesus
is able to help
and to strengthen them.
Third thing I suggest
that Paul gives here
is practical wisdom.
Now there is some
miraculous stuff
and we'll come on to that.
But actually a lot
of what Paul says
is just common sense
and experience.
Why did Paul think
it wasn't safe
to sail
between the harbours
in Crete?
There's no indication here
that it was because
he'd had some divine intervention
or seen a vision
at that stage.
But Paul was a very
seasoned seaman.
He tells us
in 1 Corinthians
that he'd been shipwrecked
three times
before this
and had spent
a day and a night
adrift at sea.
He knew what
the Mediterranean
was like.
He knew the dangers
that were
present there
probably even more
than the sailors
on that boat.
And he used that
as practical wisdom
to say,
really,
you shouldn't
be doing that.
He had the practical
nous and understanding
to recognise
that when the sailors
were about to leave
and were saying,
oh, we're just getting
lifeboats,
that actually
what they were doing
was planning
to run away
and to leave
the others behind.
He had the common sense
to think,
well, if people
are going to have to swim
potentially towards the shore,
they need to have
a bit of strength,
so they need to eat.
He demonstrated
practical wisdom
in the situation.
And we need to as well.
Christian life
is not all about
God giving us
great guidance
and help
and showing us
clearly
the way ahead.
God has given us
the powers
of observation.
And as we go
through life
and as we learn
often from bitter experience
what works well,
what doesn't work well,
what should and shouldn't
be done,
then God gives us
the common sense
and the wisdom
to put that
into practice.
To learn from experience
and to make
sound
judgements.
And he expects us
to do that.
I was reminded
of the parable
of the talents
and to some extent
I think that's
what that is about.
People who've been given,
the servants who've been given,
some of them
have a lot of money,
some of them
not very much money,
but the question is
what good,
what use do you make
of the things
you've been given?
And we can apply that
to spiritual gifts
and that's perfectly relevant.
I think it also applies
to what God has given us
in our intellect,
in our practical skills,
in our people skills,
that we should use these
and day to day
we should show
the kind of practical wisdom
that Paul did.
Fourthly though,
there is
spiritual power.
So the first three
are really things
about our character
and what we do
and what we say.
But we need to know
that without God's power
and God's strength
with us,
then we are powerless.
And throughout this passage
again,
you see Paul's reliance
on God.
The angel appears to him.
That is the thing
that gives Paul
the real assurance
that no one
will be lost.
Now Paul already knew
he was going to make it
to Rome.
God had already told him that
but this assurance
that no one would be lost,
that came by
divine intervention
by the angel.
When they get him
to the island of Malta,
when Paul is saved
from the snake,
when he's able
to heal others,
that is again
divine intervention
that is spiritual power.
Now we may not see angels.
We may not be able
to survive being poisoned
or to heal others
miraculously.
But we too need
God's power
in our lives
as we seek
to serve him.
Because without God's power,
then nothing that we try
to do
will be effective.
The greatest miracle
of all
is when someone
comes to know
and trust the Lord Jesus
and passes
from death
to life.
And we know
that we can't do that.
We have a part
to play as Christians
in talking to others
about the Lord Jesus,
in helping them
to understand
the glorious message
of salvation.
But ultimately,
unless we've got
spiritual power,
unless we're relying
on God,
then it will be useless.
Paul displayed
spiritual power.
And then finally,
the last thing
that struck me
in this context here
was that Paul
had an appropriate witness
on board that ship.
Now I'm sure
that Paul talked to them
about the Lord Jesus,
about the death of Jesus,
about why Paul
was in chains,
and the importance
to him
of telling others
the gospel message.
But that's not recorded
in this passage.
But there are a few things
that are recorded
that are really just Paul
talking about
his experience
or doing things
that should come naturally
to us as Christians.
So he says,
when he says that
the ship is all
going to be saved,
he makes it clear
that that's because
he's had a vision
of an angel
and he's been told
that direct from God.
When he gives food
to those on the ship,
what does he do?
What do Christians
naturally do
when we have food?
He gives thanks
to God for it.
And I'm sure
in quite an unobtrusive way
and yet a very powerful way,
Paul would give thanks
to God
that he was going
to save them
and that he had provided
for those on the ship.
When Publius
needs the miracle
of healing,
then Paul prays
and prays, I think,
quite publicly
for that healing.
Doing things
which as Christians
should come naturally
to us,
not pushing forward
and in what some
would consider
an objectionable way,
always hammering
the message
of the gospel.
We need to tell people
the gospel
but we also need
to witness
just in a quiet way
of our experience
of God,
of the fact
that we do like
to thank God
for what he's given
to us,
particularly in practicing
grace around mealtimes
and in praying
for each other
and praying particularly
for those who are ill.
We need to have,
like Paul,
an appropriate witness.
And if we have
all these things,
if we have
an attractive character,
personal authority,
practical wisdom,
spiritual power,
an appropriate witness,
then we can have
an influence
that is far beyond
any formal power
or control
that we have.
people will respect us
and people will be drawn
to the Lord Jesus
through us.
As I said,
sometimes they will
turn against the Lord,
sometimes they will
turn against us
and that is part
of living
in a sinful world.
But we need to show
this kind of character
and have this kind
of influence
if we are to be
good witnesses
for the Lord Jesus
and to be a real help
to others,
particularly in coming
to know him.
So that's Paul's
unexpected influence.
Now fairly briefly,
let me talk about
God's unexpected providence
which I think is the
other key theme
in this passage.
The last third
of the book of Acts
roughly
is a description
of Paul's journey
to Rome.
It kind of mirrors
the gospel
where the last third
of Luke's gospel
is the Lord's journey
to Jerusalem
and the cross
and resurrection.
The last third
broadly of Acts
is Paul's journey
to Rome,
starting out
with the collection
that he made
in the Gentile churches,
then the journey
to Jerusalem
and then from there
to Rome.
Now Paul undoubtedly
thought or very likely
thought that he would
collect the money
from the Gentiles
to help the Christians
in Judea
who were going
through a time
of difficulty,
a time of famine.
He'd go to Jerusalem,
he'd spend some time
with the Christians there
and then he would
go on to Rome
and effectively
retrace his steps,
head for Rome
and then ultimately
from Rome
head to Spain
which is the next place
that he planned
to evangelize.
And Paul maybe
had it fairly clear
in his head,
God is providing
a way for me
to help the Christians
in Jerusalem
and then to go
and encourage
the Christians in Rome
and then to go
and reach those
who don't yet know
the gospel
in Spain.
But it turned out
very differently.
Paul ended up
two years in prison,
two years which
he must have been
really thinking
am I ever going
to get to Rome?
What's happening here?
Why am I like this?
He's taken on a ship
in chains,
he's taken to Rome
as a prisoner,
not as a free man
and then he gets
caught up in this
terrible storm
where it looks as if
everyone is going
to die.
Now God had confirmed
to Paul way back
in chapter 23,
I think that's about
two weeks ago
we looked at that,
that he would go
to Rome,
but he's languished
in prison,
he's in chains
and he's in a shipwreck.
And God's unexpected
providence means
that he may not
always protect us
from the storm.
In the gospel
we have the story,
more than one story
of the Lord Jesus
calming storms,
of the disciples
being saved
from the storm
and being able
to sail to shore.
And sometimes God
does that.
Sometimes we come
across a situation
in life which is
very difficult
and we pray about it
and God very quickly
intervenes
and things
return to normal.
We can see
him working
in it.
But often
and perhaps
more often
we go through
the storm
and are not
protected
from being
in it.
Whether it is
because we live
in a fallen world
and we will
inevitably face
opposition
as Christians
to the gospel
as Paul did
and a lot of
what's happened
to Paul here
is a result
of the Jews
turning against him
and wanting
to get rid of him.
We will see
opposition
if we stand
for the Lord Jesus
and some people
will not accept
the message.
Or it may be
again a result
of being in a fallen
world
that not through
any man-made thing
but things
turn against us.
Paul being caught
up in the storm
perhaps many people
being caught up
in illness
or in difficult
family circumstances
and we face
storms
in our lives
and God allows
us to go
through them.
Sometimes he protects
us from them
often he doesn't
and he lets us
go through them
so that we will
grow in our character
as Christians
so that we will
become more
dependent
on him
and it tests
and ultimately
strengthens
our faith.
I think over
the last two
or three years
it's been very
evident in this
church
that a lot
of generally
older people
who have been
pillars of the
church for many
years
have gone through
extremely
difficult
circumstances.
I won't
convince them
but many of us
will know
what they are.
They've gone
through times
of real illness
and of sadness
and of difficulty.
And I look
at these people
who are not
just brothers
and sisters
in Christ
I would say
they're more
like uncles
and aunts
in Christ
who have
influenced me
who have
cared for me
who have
encouraged me
and you think
well why is
it happening?
Why are these
people suffering
so much?
And the answer
is quite simply
that all of us
are subject
to the storms
of life
and perhaps
those who
suffer the most
and who come
through it
that is happening
so that the
strength of their
faith
the goal
of their
commitment
to the Lord
Jesus
is made
plain
to everyone
and yes
it keeps them
depending on
the Lord Jesus
it helps them
to grow
further in their
character
helps them
to look forward
even more
to when they
will go home
to be in heaven
with the Lord
Jesus
but all of us
will face the
storms at one
point or another
in our lives
and God
will not always
protect us
from getting
into the storm
and of course
he didn't protect
his own son
from the storm
either
that the Lord
Jesus suffered
much more
than we ever
will
when he went
to the cross
at Calvary
and took the
punishment
for our sins
but if God
won't protect us
always from
the storm
he will always
protect us
through the storm
if we're trusting
in him
he will bring
us out
on the other
side
better off
better Christians
and able to
look back
and to thank him
for his grace
and his providence
Paul wouldn't
have chosen
I'm sure
to go to Rome
the way he did
and yet the way
he went to Rome
gave him opportunities
there were opportunities
on the ship
for witness
and to demonstrate
the great power
and wisdom
of God
there was the
opportunity in Malta
that three months
there
such a contrast
when he was in prison
back in Caesarea
three months in Malta
where people were
coming to him
and he was able
to heal
and he was able
to witness
to the saving power
of the Lord Jesus
and then as he comes
towards Rome
when the Christians
come out
perhaps having heard
of the difficulty
of his journey
Paul is encouraged
and strengthened
by God's people
being there
and being there
to help him
Paul knew
he was going
to reach Rome
as we said earlier
because he trusted
God's promise
and he knew
he could rely
on God's presence
in the worst
of times
and for us too
that's the case
if we are going
through difficult
if you are going
through a difficult
time at the moment
be assured
that God
will be with you
and if you trust him
he will bring you
through it
be assured
that his promises
are always secure
and if we read
the Bible
we come across
a promise of God
there we can lay
hold on it
and we can take
comfort
and strength
from it
yes we'll go
through the storm
but God will be
with us
in the storm
and God will
protect us
through
the storm
perhaps the
second most
famous storm
in Christian
history
took place
not between
Crete and Malta
but off the
coast of Ireland
John Newton
having been a slave
himself in Africa
was now a slave
trader
and off the Galway
coast
his ship
went into
a dreadful
storm
and the sailors
on the ship
feared for their
lives
and they spent
a whole night
trying to keep
the ship
from sinking
not sure exactly
what they were
doing
probably bailing
water out
and making
everything secure
and desperate
for their
lives
and in his
desperation
John Newton
who wasn't a
Christian at that
stage
called on God
for mercy
and God did
bring him
through the storm
and everyone else
on the boat
with him
now at that point
John Newton
didn't immediately
become a Christian
everything was
straightforward
from then on
but that was
the first step
in John Newton
beginning to
understand
the grace
of God
and ultimately
coming to know
God
and becoming
a vicar
down in
Olney
and John Newton
of course
was a very
famous hymn writer
we sang a
version of one
of his hymns
right at the
beginning
Amazing Grace
I want to end
with a couple
of verses
from another
of John Newton's
hymn
that is perhaps
not so well
known
but I think
directly relates
to his experience
of the storm
and perhaps
can help us
as we go
through storms
in life
here's what
John Newton
says
be gone
unbelief
my saviour
is near
and for my
relief
will surely
appear
by prayer
let me wrestle
and he will
perform
with Christ
in the vessel
I smile
at the storm
since all
that I meet
shall work
for my good
the bitterest
sweet
the medicine
food
though painful
at present
will cease
before long
and then
oh how pleasant
the conqueror's
song
I think the smiling
there is symbolic
rather than literal
but you get the meaning
if we have the Lord
Jesus with us
we can come through
the storms of life
and we can emerge
at the end
stronger
we can be conquerors
we can go
knowing
that God
has preserved us
and God
has a place
for us
in heaven
let's pray together
Father we thank you
for your word to us
this morning
we thank you
for this passage
that is
in many ways
so tense
and exciting
but also
which brings out
so much
your goodness
your providence
and the responsibilities
too
that we have
to influence others
and to be
forces for good
and witnesses
for the Lord Jesus
in our world
help us as we
go into the coming weeks
that we may
face the storms of life
with confidence
that you are in control
and that we may
demonstrate the character
and power
of the Lord Jesus
that we may be
forces for good
and may be witnesses
to the saving power
of Jesus
to those around us
we take time again
to remember
as we did earlier
those who are going
through the most
difficult of times
at the moment
for those who are
in hospital
for those who are
in suffering
at home
for those
whose future
might appear
uncertain
and we pray
as they go
through the storm
that they may know
your presence
with them
and may be able
to lay hold
on your promises
and on the fact
that you
are in control
of everything
we thank you
for your presence
this morning
we commit ourselves
to you now
in the name
of the Lord Jesus
Amen