The Northeaster from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.

Looking back, I can recall many times when I felt I must have missed God's direction, only to discover that I was exactly where I needed to be. Even if that place was a dark hole-in-the-wall, it was often through those very circumstances that I was led toward my destiny. The storms in our lives are often used by God to correct our course and push us towards our destination.

Most of us have experienced times when we felt powerless to change our circumstances, and some of you may be going through such a moment even now. We must remember that God is in control, even when our lives and the world seem spinning out of control. I want to take an example from the life of the Apostle Paul, who said this:

(Romans 8:28 NKJV) And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

That is quite a statement, from someone who went through so much: that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are "the called." Paul lived many examples of this playing out in his life, but today I want to examine one journey in detail.

In Acts chapter 23, Paul had just completed his third missionary journey and traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of Pentecost. While he was at the temple, a group of angry Jews stirred up the crowd against him, and they tried to beat him to death. Thankfully, Roman soldiers intervened, breaking up the mob and arresting Paul, assuming he must have done something wrong.

That night, Jesus Himself appeared to Paul in prison and told him that just as he testified about Him in Jerusalem, he would also testify in Rome. So Paul was taken to Caesarea and confined there for the next two years, even though there were no clear charges against him. Imagine his thoughts: "Jesus said I would go to Rome, but I am sitting here in jail..."

When the Roman Governor wanted to send Paul back to Jerusalem to stand trial before the Jewish Sanhedrin, which would have almost certainly resulted in a death sentence, Paul appealed to Caesar in Rome. It was Paul's right to do this because he was born a Roman citizen. Therefore, he was to be transported by ship to Rome to have his case heard by Caesar.

Paul was escorted by Roman soldiers, and they boarded an Alexandrian ship, which was likely an Egyptian grain freighter transporting grain grown in Egypt to Italy. The typical grain freighter of that period was 140 feet long and 36 feet wide. It had one mast with a big square sail, and instead of what we think of as a rudder, it steered with two paddles on the back part of the ship. They were sturdy, but because of their design, they couldn't sail directly into the wind.

It was fall, and sea cyclones, Northeasters, hurricane-like storms, increased in the area until the end of winter. Ships usually didn't sail in the Mediterranean Sea during the winter, but would instead seek a suitable harbor and wait for the storm season to pass. When they arrived in Fair Haven, Paul wanted them to stay there for the winter, but it was a small town, and the sailors didn't want to spend months there. They all decided to go to Phoenix, a much larger harbor town about forty miles away.

It seemed simple enough, and when a favorable wind started to blow, they set sail for Phoenix. They should have reached the harbor in a few hours, but soon after leaving Fair Haven, the ship was caught in a terrible storm and blown far out into the sea and away from any land. The sailors couldn't see the sun by day, or the stars at night, so they had no idea where they were, but they were moving fast.

For the next two weeks, the ship was driven before the storm, completely out of the sailors' control. There was nothing they could do but pray. They didn't even eat during that time, possibly because of seasickness. They may have been unable to cook because of the tossing, turning, rocking ship, which was being beaten by the waves.

They began throwing the cargo overboard to lighten the ship. Eventually, they lost all hope of being saved. Then an angel appeared to Paul to encourage him, and he stood up and told them that not a hair on their head would perish. They would all make it because an angel of the "God whose I am" had told him. So, when everyone else was falling apart, Paul was at peace.

Jesus had promised Paul that he would testify in Rome, and he believed that would happen. However, there were some very dark days between the start and the finish. The ship was blown by that wind for over 475 miles, way, way farther than the forty-mile trip they began.

Eventually, they shipwrecked on the Isle of Malta and swam to shore at a place now called Saint Paul's Bay. Just as Paul told them, they all survived, and not a soul was lost.

The Isle of Malta has never been the same since Paul swam ashore that morning. He spent about three months there teaching the gospel and healing the sick nearly 2000 years ago, and because of it, there are now more than 360 churches there, many of which are dedicated to the Apostle Paul. Malta is still considered one of the most religious countries in Europe, and there is a monument dedicated to the Apostle Paul there.

Instead of spending the winter in Phoenix, God wanted Paul to bring the gospel to Malta during those months. Though the storm's wind drove them across the sea and they were helpless to steer the ship, God controlled the direction of the wind that was moving the ship. They had set out on a forty-mile journey, but it became a 500-mile trek; however, God was in total control the entire time. Paul simply took a side trip and brought Christianity to a remote island while on his way to Rome.

We should never give up hope in God. The path that we take may be long and dark, and we may feel lost, beaten, and tossed about. We may not understand what we are going through, or why it is taking so very long to get here. We all go through dry seasons, but seasons change, and if you hang on long enough, yours will as well.

The things that we go through will work out for good, and though things seem beyond our control, the "God whose we are" is in control of the wind, and it will blow us right to where we need to be.

You can pray this with me if you like:

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please strengthen me, guide me, and help me make the right decisions. Give me a clear vision and help me focus on the right things. Though I don't understand, I trust You to put me where I need to be. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.

* There is a Bible Study on Acts 27 here if you would like to learn more.