The apostle Paul just can’t seem to catch a break! He’s been mobbed in the temple, falsely accused, and nearly beaten to death. He’s faced an assassination plot, corrupt politicians, and cowardly magistrates. He’s been shuffled from one court to the next, and no one has been gutsy enough to do the right thing and release him. For two years, he languished in prison before he had enough and appealed to Caesar. And now that he’s finally on his way, he gets shipwrecked! It just keeps going from bad to worse for Paul!
Yet, this is the exact path God ordained for Paul’s life. He is right smack in the middle of the will of God who is working all these things together for His glory and Paul’s good. These light and momentary sufferings are working for Paul an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. So, even when every circumstance seems to be going wrong, Paul still has a deeply anchored confidence in the goodness of God, who is with him and for him in the storm!
As we’re going to see today, Paul demonstrates extraordinary and surprising courage in the midst of the storm. Where did that courage come from? And how can we have it too? Because storms of life come and we need real courage when the winds blow and the waves crash upon our lives. So, let’s learn together the secret of courage in the storm, because we are loved, more than we know!
